The case is historic. It is the first youth climate case to make it to trial in the United States, even as several others are working their way through the court system. The trial is scheduled to run from June 12 to 23 in Helena, Montana. The young plaintiffs are suing the state of Montana.
“It’s very concerning knowing that climate change is affecting our seasons, it’s affecting our plants and things that we eat and need to survive,” plaintiff Sariel Sandoval, 20, a member of the Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d’Oreille, and Diné Tribes, testified Wednesday, speaking about how climate change is affecting tribal culture and subsistence practices. “Ultimately, it will change who we are, too.