This guest post was written by Eamon Umphress, a 16-year-old Texas resident.
Most 16-year-olds I know, including me, are interested in getting a job, a car, buying clothes and hanging out with friends. Not saving the world. But I was given an opportunity to do just that.
In 2011, at age 15, I became part of a groundbreaking legal effort to protect the atmosphere for future generations, to ensure that we have a planet when we grow up. I became part of the iMatter/Our Children’s Trust legal action along with kids from 49 other states petitioning their state and federal government to protect the atmosphere from damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions. We used an ancient legal concept called the “public trust doctrine.” The doctrine is based on the idea that the government has an obligation to protect things that the community relies on, like water. But it has never been applied to the atmosphere before.
That’s because no one ever thought it needed protecting. Even in my short time on the planet, I’ve noticed a change in the climate. The hottest years in a century have happened in the last 10 years. Last summer was the hottest on record in Austin with over 90 days having temperatures above 100 degrees. And the projections for my beautiful green city are that by 2050, our climate will resemble the Sonoran desert. But never could I have imagined that this lawsuit would have any real life impact. The idea even seemed a little far-fetched to me – suing the government to protect the atmosphere? I didn’t really give the effort much chance of success, but I thought it was important enough to give it a try, even if it seemed likely to fail.
Part of what convinced me to do this was all the air alerts that warn old people and children to stay inside. It made me wonder if it was always like this. Did kids and grandparents always have to stay inside to protect their lungs? It was clear that something bad was happening to the air. You could even see the increasing amount of smog on the skyline. I was thinking someone had to do something about all the pollution going into the atmosphere, so I decided I would, because if I didn’t, who would? Someone had to do something. So I was really surprised when I learned that the judge said that the public trust doctrine must apply to all natural resources. The state had said it only applied to water, but the judge disagreed and broadened it.
The amazing thing is that the legal breakthrough happened in Texas, a state with a reputation for conservative judges and weak environmental laws. It really showed me that if you want something to happen, and you step up and make the effort, it just might. A lot of kids my age feel like there isn’t much they can do to make a difference on an individual scale. But I did. So you can too.
This post originally appeared at Imatter.
TELL THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO TALK ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING