Dear John,
As we approach the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are at another defining moment in American history. Nearly 250 years ago, young people fleeing oppression in search of freedom risked everything to secure their lives and liberty, and a better future—not just for themselves, but for generations to come. Today, a new generation is doing the same. Like the revolutionaries of 1776, young Americans are rising to confront powerful forces that threaten their freedoms and their future. They are not asking for comfort—they are demanding justice. They are fighting not a distant king, but authoritarian domestic policies enacted that endanger their lives, their health, and their planet.
The difference today—they have the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and more than two hundred years of democracy to stand on. Faced with executive orders that threaten their lives today and their futures, 22 young Americans are leading the charge for justice in federal court.
In Lighthiser v. Trump, these youth plaintiffs are challenging executive orders that purposefully endanger their health, safety, and constitutional rights by stripping them of science and renewable energy solutions and forcing them unnecessarily to live in a fossil fuel polluted world. In a bold step forward, they’ve asked the court to block three executive orders designed to “unleash” fossil fuels—orders that would accelerate climate destruction and deepen harm to their generation.
And they are not standing alone.
In an extraordinary show of support, 25 leading voices—world-renowned pediatricians, climate scientists, Nobel-winning economists, energy experts, mental health experts, and former government officials—have submitted sworn declarations to the court.
Together, they lay bare the stakes: worsening illness, deepening trauma, suppressed science, and a government weaponizing its power against children.
Their message is urgent and unequivocal: The climate crisis is a children’s rights crisis—and justice cannot wait.
This month, we invite you to learn about the people, the progress, and the history-making protection of children’s rights to a safe climate, powered by Our Children’s Trust.
