Giving Compass' Take:

• Zoya Teirstein reports that after five years, the climate lawsuit filed by 21 kids, Juliana v. United States, has been dismissed.

• Suing can be an effective tool for achieving justice, even though it failed in this case. How can funders help young leaders advance their cause after this setback? 

• Learn how to support youth organizing. 

Nowadays, it’s not unusual to see young folks publicly protesting climate change. But back in 2015, long before Greta Thunberg set up shop on the steps of the Swedish Parliament and inspired millions to take to the streets, 21 kids sued the United States to try to force the government to do something about climate change. They argued that the government’s inaction was putting their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at risk. That case, Juliana v. United States, paved the way for more climate-themed lawsuits to be filed against governments and oil companies around the world.

On Friday, after five long years of wins, setbacks, and procedural delay, the kids finally got their answer: No.

The 9th Circuit dismissed the case on the grounds that the courts don’t have the power to order the kind of emissions reduction plan sought by the plaintiffs, who were demanding that the government limit atmospheric warming to 1 degree C — a whole half-degree cooler than the target called for by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Read the full article about the kids’ climate lawsuit by Zoya Teirstein at Grist.