People | Environment.org

Combating climate change can feel particularly difficult these days. Countries, states, and municipalities across the globe are missing greenhouse emission reduction targets, and in the United States, President Donald Trump has rolled back key elements of his predecessor’s climate agenda.

Given the trajectory, it might be tempting for pro-climate policymakers to turn to more aggressive measures of getting people to take action, such as mandates, bans, or restrictions. People would then have to save the planet.

But a study published last week in the journal Nature Sustainability suggests that approach can carry real risks. It found that climate policies aimed at forcing lifestyle changes — such as bans on driving in urban centers — can backfire by weakening people’s existing pro-environmental values and triggering political backlash, even among those who already care about climate change. The findings suggest that how …

A group of young people just forced Hawaiʻi to take major climate action

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| Pollution

The government of Hawaiʻi and a group of young people have reached a historic settlement that requires the state to decarbonize its transportation network. The agreement is the first of its kind in the nation and comes two years after 13 Hawaiian youth sued the state Department of Transportation for failing to protect their “constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment.”

The settlement, announced last Thursday, requires the department to develop a plan and zero out greenhouse gas emissions from all transportation sectors by 2045. The agency is also required to create a new unit tasked with climate change mitigation, align budgetary investments with its clean energy goals, and plant at least 1,000 trees a year to increase carbon absorption from the atmosphere.

“It’s historic that the state government has come to the table and negotiated such a …

Young people take European governments to court over climate inaction

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| Pollution

Young climate activists took center stage again on Wednesday, as the European Court of Human Rights heard a case brought by six Portuguese youth, ranging in age from 11 to 24, who argued that Europe’s governments aren’t doing enough to prevent climate change from harming them. It is one of the most ambitious legal efforts yet to force action on climate change and, if successful, could have legally binding consequences.

“We’ve had a packed court,” said Gearóid Ó’Cuinn, director of Global Legal Action Network, or GLAN, a human rights nonprofit that is supporting the Portuguese applicants. In the statement, he also noted that there were more than 80 lawyers representing 32 countries at the hearing, including all European Union member states, along with the United Kingdom, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, and Turkey.

The young people are suing because they argue that …