The US Supreme Court on Tuesday chose not to hear a petition from young climate activists who had argued that the federal government's role in climate change violated their constitutional rights. This decision marks the conclusion of a legal battle that began in 2015, when 21 plaintiffs, the youngest being 8 years old, filed the case. They claimed that the U.S. government’s actions, which supported a fossil fuel-driven economy, breached their right to a life-sustaining climate. Murphy, famous bald eagle who became a foster dad, dies after Missouri storms The case, known as Juliana v. United States, named one of the activists, Kelsey Juliana, and faced repeated opposition from the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. The government’s lawyers contended that the case sought to change federal environmental and energy policies through the courts instead of the political process. Julia Olson, the chief legal counsel for Our Children’s Trust, the nonprofit representing the plaintiffs, said the lawsuit’s influence “cannot be measured by the finality of this case alone.” She noted that Juliana had sparked a global youth-led climate movement that continues to grow, empowering young people to demand their constitutional right to a safe climate and future. "We’ve already secured important victories, and we will continue pushing forward,” she said. The plaintiffs sought a court trial to determine if the U.S. government violated their fundamental rights to life and liberty by supporting a fossil fuel-based energy system. After years of legal proceedings, in 2018, the case was almost brought to trial, but it was halted by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts just days before it began. In 2020, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case, stating that decisions about national climate policy should be made by politicians, not judges. However, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Oregon allowed the activists to amend their lawsuit, ruling that it could go to trial. In 2024, following a request from the Biden administration, a three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit ordered Judge Aiken to dismiss the case, which she did. The plaintiffs then attempted, unsuccessfully, to revive the lawsuit by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court. In response to the latest developments, Our Children’s Trust is now preparing a new federal case based on the same constitutional principles as the Juliana case. The plaintiffs, who are now aged between 17 and 29, have continued their climate advocacy in various ways. Many are still in university, and about half are from Oregon. Some of the key plaintiffs include Juliana, who became a primary school teacher; Alex Loznak, who is now an environmental and immigration lawyer; and Nathan Baring, who runs a reindeer herding association in Alaska. Baring commented that this was not the end, stating, “We’re part of a wave.” 2024 breaks 175-year global heat record; poses long-term risk for Bangladesh Miko Vergun, a plaintiff born in the Marshall Islands, is focused on ensuring the survival of her homeland. She recently graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in cultural anthropology. Vergun expressed that although the Supreme Court’s decision wasn’t what they had hoped, there had been "many wins along the way," adding, “We’ve shown the world that young people will not be ignored.” Our Children’s Trust has initiated climate legal actions on behalf of young people in all 50 states, with active cases in Florida, Utah, and Alaska. In December 2024, the Montana Supreme Court upheld a historic ruling that the state was violating residents' constitutional rights by allowing fossil fuel projects without considering their impact on global warming. In Hawaii, a settlement was reached with 13 youth plaintiffs, requiring the state government to achieve zero emissions in its transportation system by 2045. Internationally, the Oregon case has inspired over 60 youth-led climate lawsuits worldwide.

Severe weather events disrupted education for children around the world, including 33 million in Bangladesh in 2024, according to an analysis released by UNICEF today. The report, "Learning Interrupted: Global Snapshot of Climate-Related School Disruptions in 2024," is the first of its kind, and reveals that heatwaves, cyclones, floods, and other extreme weather events led to multiple rounds of school closures around the world. Globally, at least 247 million students in 77 countries had their schooling disrupted by heatwaves, tropical storms, floods and droughts in 2024. South Asia was the most affected region. In Bangladesh, nationwide heatwaves in April and May 2024 left children at risk of dehydration and heatstroke, forcing schools to close across the whole country for up to two weeks, and several districts went on to suffer subsequent school disruption due to cyclone Remal, followed by intense flooding in June. UNICEF appeals for US$9.9 bln funding to support children hit by conflict, crisis   Up to 18.4 million people were impacted by the floods countrywide, including 7 million children. Sylhet district was the worst hit, with severe flooding causing widespread infrastructure damage and leaving more than 600,000 learners without access to education. According to estimates from UNICEF in Bangladesh, children in Sylhet lost up to 8 weeks of school days cumulatively and areas in Khulna, Chattogram and Rangpur districts each suffered 6 weeks of climate-induced school closures over 12 months. “The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, exacerbated by the climate crisis, is having a knock-on effect on children’s education in Bangladesh and depriving children of their right to learn”, said Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh. “Extreme temperatures and other climate hazards don’t only damage schools, they can affect students’ concentration, memory and mental and physical health. Prolonged school closures increase the chance of children – especially adolescent girls – dropping out of school and being married off by families to cope with economic stress”. According to the UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index, children in Bangladesh are already among the most exposed and vulnerable in the world to climate and environmental hazards. These disasters often put further strains on the ‘learning poverty’ in the country, where one in two children cannot read at their grade level and two-thirds are unable to do basic counting after completing primary education. In addition, the country loses some of the brightest from their classrooms, as girls and Bangladesh pay the price of ranking among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest percentage of child marriage. The report notes that schools and education systems are largely ill-equipped to protect students from these impacts, and climate-centred finance investments in education remain strikingly low. UNICEF is calling on international climate financing institutions and donors, the private sector and the interim Government of Bangladesh to prioritize the needs of children in policies and plans, including by: Accelerating financing to improve climate resilience in the education sector, including investing in proven and promising solutions to build climate-smart learning facilities that are safe and inclusive for all children. Number of children recruited by gangs in Haiti soars by 70%: UNICEF Ensuring national climate plans – including Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 and the National Adaptation Plan – strengthen child-critical social services, such as education, to be more climate- smart and disaster- resilient, and contain adequate emission reduction pledges to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Ensuring children and young people are part of the climate decision-making process at all levels. “Children in Bangladesh are at the forefront of two interconnected crises - climate change and deepening learning poverty, threatening both their survival and future. As children continue to speak up and call for urgent action on the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, decision-makers must heed their calls and place their needs at the centre of climate policies and financing plans,” said Flowers.