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Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

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11–20 of 95 posts

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#11
post #10

What are these kids doing to develop non-CO2-emitting energy sources? Why don't they spend their time and energy on that instead? Even if we assume for the sake of argument that such lawsuits are justified, all they do is suck up resources that could be used for developing energy technologies to fix the problem.

Well that's the point. It's to suck up resources from the government spent on other things, and reallocate it to climate protection.

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#12
These sorts of lawsuits are going to be necessary with the rise of Trump's EPA--or what should be called Coal Protection Agency. We're about to enter a brave new world of environmental governance, one that is led by a climate change denier and one that believes "global warming" is a Chinese plot to weaken our economy.

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#13
What a ridiculous joke. "Kids" aren't suing anyone. Cynical adults who haven't been able to get their way through the democratic system are trying to ram their policy preferences through the courts, and they are abusing innocent children to do it. In a saner world, that judge would have called Child Protective Services.

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#14
post #10

What are these kids doing to develop non-CO2-emitting energy sources? Why don't they spend their time and energy on that instead? Even if we assume for the sake of argument that such lawsuits are justified, all they do is suck up resources that could be used for developing energy technologies to fix the problem.

See todays Marrakech meeting. Turns out we have most technology solutions available to cut down CO2 considerably and all that is required is policy to implement them. Not research - not even productize - all of the suggested approaches are based on productized approches.

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#15
I am surprised by the very negative ton of the first 10+ comments. These kids are not kids any more. They are between 15 and 20. As a reminder, Lafayette was 16.

They see an issue and act on it with the tools they have.

When you have an issue with a piece of software, you look at the alternatives and possibly you act on the issue, you fix it. They do what you do as designer/software developer, just in another field.

We need more people doing and less people complaining. Some may consider it stupid to sue, but if this is the only solution, why not?

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#16
post #15

I am surprised by the very negative ton of the first 10+ comments. These kids are not kids any more. They are between 15 and 20. As a reminder, Lafayette was 16. They see an issue and act on it with the tools they have. When you have an issue with a piece of software, you look at the alternatives and possibly you act on the issue, you fix it. They do what you do as designer/software developer, just in another field.…

Evidence that HN is a right-wing capitalist site (like both US political parties): in a discussion of threats to humanity, an apparently highly-rated comment talks about paying too much in taxes. And fears that solutions to global warming will "completely subvert our entire system of law making."

(Both of which are good things: not just markets, but the nation state system itself, are exactly what need disrupting. Those who drank the koolaid can't think past tight bounds even when future generations are at stake. Not everyone can escape to billionaire mansion compounds in New Zealand. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-man... )

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#17
post #8

I doubt this will get very far. It seems like it would open up a whole can of worms and completely subvert our entire system of law making. >She declared the facts of man-made climate change “undisputed,” and supported the plaintiffs’ challenge to hold national powers accountable for the damages caused by global warming. >Aikin wrote: “This action is of a different order than the typical environmental case. It allege…

> So if I decide that taxes are too high and I present evidence that the tax rate is at the wrong end of the laffer curve I could get my money back?

How does that flow from these quotes?

To be equivalent, you would need to prove that the tax rate is so insane that it has a substantial chance of killing you. Equivalent arguments for tax relief are in relation to poverty, medical costs, food and basic necessities, etc and generally win.

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#18
post #15

I am surprised by the very negative ton of the first 10+ comments. These kids are not kids any more. They are between 15 and 20. As a reminder, Lafayette was 16. They see an issue and act on it with the tools they have. When you have an issue with a piece of software, you look at the alternatives and possibly you act on the issue, you fix it. They do what you do as designer/software developer, just in another field.…

>but if this is the only solution, why not?

It's not the only solution, and government didn't create it. People are causing global warming, not government. It's people who decide to use cars and get stuck in traffic instead taking a bus, bus will go that route anyway, people in cars will cause more traffic and generate more pollution.

People who don't turn off lights (also TVs, computers) at their homes over night. I met a lot of them, one of the dumbest excuse was... light bulbs break if we turn on and off the lights frequently, so they were leaving 3x 100W lightbulbs overnight, irony, they were working as council of Greenest Capital of Europe :)))

People who burn coal and wood to heat homes, burn coal = more CO2, burn wood = less forests.

People who don't recycle stuff - I'll just throw away that TV on a street or drop from 2nd flow window for fun! Ha! People who buy new phones and computers because that's a new fashion.

People who eat food that was grown in places were 10years ago we could see amazon rainforests.

People are too lazy and it's too hard for masses to leave their comfort zones.

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#19
post #18
post #15

I am surprised by the very negative ton of the first 10+ comments. These kids are not kids any more. They are between 15 and 20. As a reminder, Lafayette was 16. They see an issue and act on it with the tools they have. When you have an issue with a piece of software, you look at the alternatives and possibly you act on the issue, you fix it. They do what you do as designer/software developer, just in another field.…

>but if this is the only solution, why not? It's not the only solution, and government didn't create it. People are causing global warming, not government. It's people who decide to use cars and get stuck in traffic instead taking a bus, bus will go that route anyway, people in cars will cause more traffic and generate more pollution. People who don't turn off lights (also TVs, computers) at their homes over night. I…

It's people who rape people, murder people, poison people... oh wait, they're all illegal too.

Re: Kids Win the Right to Sue the US Government Over Climate Change

#20
post #19
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>but if this is the only solution, why not? It's not the only solution, and government didn't create it. People are causing global warming, not government. It's people who decide to use cars and get stuck in traffic instead taking a bus, bus will go that route anyway, people in cars will cause more traffic and generate more pollution. People who don't turn off lights (also TVs, computers) at their homes over night. I…

It's people who rape people, murder people, poison people... oh wait, they're all illegal too.

So let's sue government for rapist and murderers to end it?
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