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"Let us acknowledge and celebrate what youth can do to build a safer, more just world. Let us strengthen our efforts to include young people in policies, programmes and decision-making processes that benefit their futures and ours." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

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February 01, 2012

Kids vs US Government

Youth Demand Leaders to Govern as if their Futures Matter

What is government for?  Is it to protect the rights of people?  Abraham Lincoln said that “The legitimate object of government is to do for people what needs to be done,” that they cannot do for themselves. 

Applied to the climate crisis, our governments have fallen far short of “doing for the people what needs to be done.”  iMatter youth across the U.S. thought so too. This past Spring, young people filed legal action against their state and federal governments, reminding them of their obligation to protect the atmosphere for ours and future generations.

These legal actions are based on the ancient, and applicable, legal theory of the public trust, and are undergirded by the science of Dr. James Hansen and other climatologists. All legal actions ask for courts to compel governments to establish climate recovery plans to reduce carbon emissions by 6% per year beginning in 2012, to get us to a healthy 350 ppm by the end of the century. Youth can and are leading the way to a sustainable future!  Judges should listen to them. Click here to find out more about the legal actions.

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Blog2/01/12

Kids vs US Government

What is government for? Is it to protect the rights of people? Abraham Lincoln said that "The legitimate object of government is to do for people what needs to be done,” that they cannot do for themselves. Applied to the climate crisis, our governments have fallen far short of “doing for the people what needs to be done.” READ MORE...

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The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

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Your Signature Matters

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