Guided by Heritage, Fueled by Justice 
Rooted in the strength of her Indigenous and Hispanic heritage, Taleah is one of the youth plaintiffs in Held v. State of Montana. Learn about the impact her heritage has had on her climate work and the inspiring message she has for young people in Hispanic communities ready to take climate action. 

Meet Aly!

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we are excited to highlight Aly Bonilla, Executive Legal Assistant at Our Children’s Trust. A proud Honduran raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, Aly joined our team earlier this year, bringing her passion and dedication to advancing our mission to protect children’s rights to a safe climate. Read more to learn how her identity as a proud Latina influenced her passion for climate justice. 

Governments Are Perpetuating Climate, Health, and Nature Inequalities Hispanic Communities Face in the U.S.  

There are nearly 9 million children living in America, and in 2022, the majority (41%) were Hispanic children under the age of 18 living in poverty—environments often neglected, industrialized, and riddled with pollution. For many Hispanics and Latinos, this is a reality shaped by deep-rooted social, economic, and environmental inequities, resulting from a discriminatory system that confines marginalized groups to segregated, toxic spaces.  

Our Social Media & Online Content Coordinator, Eillin Delapaz-Aceves, delves into how these environments can take a profound toll on the mental and physical well-being of those from Hispanic communities.  

It was a busy and exciting month at Our Children’s Trust! Read about some of our case updates below.  

• Julia Olson, Co-Executive Director & Chief Legal Counsel at Our Children’s Trust, spoke at The New York Times Climate Forward event and shared how youth are taking legal action to secure recognition of their fundamental rights amid the climate crisis. Watch her full speech here.  

• Attorneys for the California children in the equal protection climate case, Genesis v. EPA, presented oral arguments in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Read our press statement to learn more. 

• After a nearly ten-year battle to get to trial, the Juliana 21 filed a petition in the United States Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse an egregious error by a three-judge panel. Learn more about their fight for climate justice here. 

• New research published this month in The Lancet Planetary Health, decisively concludes that aiming for and maintaining the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature target is patently unjust. This extensive research presents evidence that this level of heating fails to protect human well-being now and in the future. Learn more here. 

Hot off the Press: Check out some of the key coverage of Our Children’s Trust this past month. 

• The Independent Climate 100 List 2024 – Julia Olson 

• Youth Group Asks Supreme Court to Revive a Landmark Climate Lawsuit 

• Young plaintiffs seek Supreme Court’s help to bring their climate lawsuit to trial in Eugene