Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we have been recording and archiving the audio to preserve the record, to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired. In this edition we share the unedited recording of the first expert witness the plaintiff attorneys called to the stand, Dr. Steve Running, who is Professor Emeritus of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at the University of Montana. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 as a Chapter Lead Author for the 4th Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Dr. Running described the current climate destabilization caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the need to reduce atmospheric concentration of CO2 to 350 ppm to stabilize the climate system. He explained how climate impacts are harmful for the youth plaintiffs and that the severity of their injuries would only get worse if Montana’s reliance on fossil fuels continues. Earth’s energy imbalance, he said, would become much worse by the end of the century, during the plaintiffs’ lifetimes.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”