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The Twenty-One with Elizabeth Rusch

·17 min·1 clip

21 kids sue the U.S. government for a world without climate change.

Elizabeth Rush is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. She writes fiction and nonfiction for adults and kids, and her book follows 21 young people suing the U.S. government over climate change. The conversation starts with the case’s origin story. Rush explains that environmental lawyer Julia Olson kept winning cases against dangerous fossil fuel projects, but new projects kept appearing, almost like a whack-a-mole game. The lawsuit changes the target. Instead of arguing that the government is simply not doing enough, the case says the government is already part of the problem because it supports the fossil fuel system through federal public lands, export ports, and subsidies. The youth plaintiffs argue that this support violates their rights to life, liberty, and prosperity. Rush notes that about 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from federal public lands, so a win could force a major cut in fossil fuel production. If the plaintiffs prevail, drilling on public lands could stop, pipelines could be blocked, and federal subsidies could end. Rush says the case could produce one of the biggest drops in greenhouse gas production in the world. She says she first got interested when one of her children went with school friends to the first hearing in Eugene, Oregon, and came back talking about it. After that, she followed the case closely and watched recorded hearings when available. The book uses those materials as the case unfolds. The result is a story that moves between courtroom strategy, documentary detail, and the young people at the center of it. It leaves the listener with a clear sense of how the legal theory, the fossil fuel system, and the human stakes fit together.

As heard by us

A clear, human climate-law story that keeps the legal fight grounded.

Elizabeth Rush turns a climate lawsuit into a clear, character-driven account, following 21 young plaintiffs as they take on the federal government's support for fossil fuels.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want climate politics told through one bold youth lawsuit, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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