USA: Teens win interim lawsuit in climate change case in Washington State

On Tuesday in Washington State King County Superior Court Judge Hollis Hill issued a judgement ordering the Washington Department of Ecology to reconsider a citzen petition on rulemaking for greenhouse gas reductions according to the best available science.

The petition (PDF) was brought by eight children and their legal guardians for a Department rule to recommend to the State Legislature an effective emissions reduction trajectory that is based on best available climate science, and will achieve safe atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide by 2100.

The petition for rule making was lodged with the Ecology Department in June 2014, but was denied by the Department in August 2014, which provided no argument disputing the scientific arguments in the children's petition. The Children lodged an appeal which was heard by Judge Hollis.

Their petition recommended that Washington’s minimum statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits should be updated according to the best available climate science for climate recovery to achieve a four percent annual reduction in overall carbon dioxide emissions in the state so that a target of 31 per cent reduction is achieved by 2020, 62 percent reduction by 2035, and 80 percent reduction by 2050.

Report: Children are already dying because of climate change

"Children are already dying because of climate change and without urgent action these deaths will increase," said Rudolph von Bernuth, Emergency Director for Save the Children. "Nearly nine million children die every year before their fifth birthdays from simple causes like diarrhoea and pneumonia. Climate change will make these threats worse. Climate change is a global emergency for children."

The charity organisation Save the Children Alliance launched a new report detailing the impact of climate change on children worldwide, but particularly in developing countries. The report 'Feeling the Heat - Child Survival in a Changing Climate (PDF)' was launched November 5 during the Barcelona Climate talks leading up to the COP15 Copenhagen Climate Treaty Conference in December 2009.