For the young plaintiffs in a landmark environmental case, victory was “a great first step”
By Ninis Twumasi
I IN 2020, 16 PLAINTIFFS, AGES 5 TO 22, took the state of Montana to court for, they said, violating their right to a clean environment, which is enshrined in the state’s constitution. This year, after a protracted court fight, they won: on Aug. 14, in a decision that the state attorney general has appealed, a judge ruled that Montana must consider the effects of climate change when deciding whether to begin or renew fossil-fuel projects. Held v. State of Montana is a first of-its-kind case, but—given a rising generation of young activists who know the power of speaking their minds—it is unlikely to be the last.
Who better to interview young climate activists about that victory than a young journalist? Ninis Twumasi, a 13-year-old Kid Reporter for TIME for Kids, is based in New York City. He spoke with two of the plaintiffs: Sariel Sandoval, now 20 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, and Claire Vlases, also 20, who is studying at Claremont McKenna College and finishing up a semester abroad in New Zealand. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. —ALLISON SINGER, TIME FOR KIDS
TIME: Why did you decide to participate in this trial? Vlases: I care a lot about the land and my home state and want to do everything I can to protect it. I was 16 or 17 when I joined the lawsuit. I couldn’t vote yet. I know there are three branches of government for a reason. I had tried helping with climate legislation, but it never was very successful, so working through the courts just made sense to me.
Sandoval: I felt like it was a good opportunity to be a voice for my people and my tribe. I’m an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. I’m also Navajo. We are located on the Flathead Reservation, which is in Western Montana. I also thought it was a good opportunity to hold the state of Montana accountable for its actions and what it’s doing to not just my people, but everyone in Montana. It’s our entire future, you know?
How long have you been working on environmental causes?
Vlases: I grew up on a small farm in Montana, helping grow vegetables, raising livestock, stuff like that.
So I’ve cared a lot about the land since I was little. But I really got into environmental work in middle school. In seventh grade, I raised about $120,000 for solar panels on my s
