Our Children's Trust: Protecting the Climate for Future Generations

Julia Olson, Founder, Co-Executive Director, and Chief Legal Counsel at Our Children’s Trust, will discuss why the climate crisis is a children’s rights issue and how youth are leading groundbreaking litigation to secure their inalienable rights to life and liberty. Julia will discuss the recent historic hearing in Missoula, Montana in Lighthiser v. Trump—a federal right-to-life case challenging three executive orders to “unleash” fossil fuels, block clean energy development, and suppress climate science. This hearing marked the first time in U.S. history that youth plaintiffs in a constitutional climate case presented live testimony in federal court about harms like wildfire evacuations, heat strokes, and mental health trauma. The court recognized plaintiffs’ injuries and called the crisis a “children’s health emergency”, but dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds. Julia will explain why this case is far from over and how a series of cases starting with Juliana v. U.S. represent a critical legal movement for intergenerational justice. She will also highlight landmark state cases such as Held v. Montana, the first children’s constitutional climate trial in the U.S., and Navahine v. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, which secured the first settlement in a youth-led constitutional climate case targeting transportation emissions and speak to the work being done at the state level to enforce children’s fundamental rights to grow up healthy and safe.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 5th, 2025 from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm.

There will be a reception with food and drink from 6-7pm, followed by the event featuring Julia Olson at 7pm. We will end with a Q&A.

LM 100, Handlery Room, Lone Mountain Main

2130 Fulton St. San Francisco, CA