Montana Supreme Court affirms youth right to a stable climate in Held v. Montana (2024)
On 18 December 2024, the Montana Supreme Court affirmed a 2023 district-court ruling in Held v. Montana, holding that the state's constitutional guarantee of a 'clean and healthful environment' includes a stable climate system and striking down a law that barred regulators from considering greenhouse-gas emissions. It was the first US appellate decision recognizing such a constitutional climate right, brought by sixteen youth plaintiffs.
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On 18 December 2024, the Montana Supreme Court affirmed a 2023 district-court ruling in Held v. Montana, holding that the state's constitutional guarantee of a 'clean and healthful environment' includes a stable climate system and striking down a law that barred regulators from considering greenhouse-gas emissions. It was the first US appellate decision recognizing such a constitutional climate right, brought by sixteen youth plaintiffs.
Who was responsible
Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.
Rikki Held
PersonDirect responsibility
verified
Rikki Held was the named lead plaintiff in the constitutional climate case affirmed by the Montana Supreme Court. The contribution is her role in bringing and sustaining the litigation, not authorship of the court's legal conclusions.
What changed
Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.
- FactMontana Supreme Court affirms youth right to a stable climate in Held v. Montana (2024)
- strengthensDriverDecarbonization and climate-mitigation policy
- weakensIndicators (3)Global CO2 emissions per capita
impact weight 0.45 · Effect from 18 December 2024 · verified
By recognizing a constitutional right to a stable climate and requiring the state to weigh greenhouse-gas emissions, the ruling strengthens the legal basis for decarbonization policy and climate-conscious permitting.
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.27 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.6)
Observed
4.73 tonnes CO2 per person per year · 2.43 above the normal line (2024)
Worse than normalTwo readings: 4.71 tonnes CO2 per person per year (2023) and 4.73 tonnes CO2 per person per year (2024).
20232024 Above normal = worse
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.23 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.5)
Observed
32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) · 27.9 above the normal line (2023)
Worse than normal3 readings, 2021–2023: fell from 33.2 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) to 32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted).
Above normal = worse
- Better
Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.18 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.4)
Observed
30% of electricity generation · 11 above the normal line (2023)
Better than normal6 readings, 2000–2023: rose from 18.9% of electricity generation to 30% of electricity generation.
Above normal = better
Causal path
How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.
- ActorRikki Held
- contributed toFactMontana Supreme Court affirms youth right to a stable climate in Held v. Montana (2024)
- strengthensDriverDecarbonization and climate-mitigation policy
- weakensIndicatorGlobal CO2 emissions per capita
Cite this page
Factrail. (2026). Montana Supreme Court affirms youth right to a stable climate in Held v. Montana (2024). Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/env-fact-held-v-montana-ruling-2024
https://factrail.ai/facts/env-fact-held-v-montana-ruling-2024
Accessed 15 October 2026.
By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed
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