Esau Sinnok of Shishmaref, Alaska, speaks at a news conference after the Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments on Oct. 9, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska, in a lawsuit that claims state policy on fossil fuels is harming the constitutional right of young Alaskans to a safe climate. The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by 16 Alaska youths, who claimed long-term effects of climate change will devastate Alaska and interfere with their individual constitutional rights. (AP File Photo / Mark Thiessen)

Esau Sinnok of Shishmaref, Alaska, speaks at a news conference after the Alaska Supreme Court heard arguments on Oct. 9, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska, in a lawsuit that claims state policy on fossil fuels is harming the constitutional right of young Alaskans to a safe climate. The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by 16 Alaska youths, who claimed long-term effects of climate change will devastate Alaska and interfere with their individual constitutional rights. (AP File Photo / Mark Thiessen)

Alaska court rules against youths in climate change lawsuit

The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by 16 young Alaskans.

By Mark Thiessen

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by 16 young Alaskans who claimed long-term effects of climate change will devastate Alaska and interfere with their individual constitutional rights.

The lawsuit against the state of Alaska claimed the state’s legislative and executive branches had not taken steps to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The lower court dismissed the case in 2018, saying these questions were better left to other branches of government.

“The young Alaskans appeal, raising compelling concerns about climate change, resource development, and Alaska’s future. But we conclude that the superior court correctly dismissed their lawsuit,” the Alaska Supreme Court said in its split decision.

During oral arguments before the high court in 2019, the state of Alaska urged the court to affirm the lower court’s rejection of the claim. Assistant Attorney General Anna Jay at the time said the climate change issues raised by the plaintiffs musts be addressed by the political branches of government.

“With today’s decision, a majority of the Alaska Supreme Court betrayed their duty to safeguard the constitutional rights of these youth and serve as a check on the conduct of the state, “Andrew Welle, a lawyer for the young people, said in a statement after the court’s opinion was released.

“The decision not only allows Alaska’s government to continue destroying the conditions necessary for human life, throwing literal and figurative fuel on the fire of an already critical climate crisis, it also makes the court complicit in that conduct, further endangering the health, safety and futures of Alaskan children,” Welle said.

The Alaska Supreme Court acknowledged that it’s not within its jurisdiction to balance the compelling interests involved in managing the state’s resources, a statement released from the office of Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said.

“Like the young Alaskans that filed this lawsuit, all of us want a sustainable and healthy future for Alaska. Through its policy decisions over the years, the state has achieved an appropriate and effective balance between resource development and environmental protection,” the statement said.

Summer Sagoonick, the lead plaintiff in the cases, was disappointed in the ruling and said it will affect Alaska Natives who count on wildlife and the land for survival.

“Our irreplaceable peoples, lands, cultures, and ecosystems are infinitely more precious than the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry, which threatens our state economy and our way of life,” Sagoonick, 20, said in a statement. “It will only be a matter of time until the state’s promotion of fossil fuels irreversibly alters the climate we depend on for our lives and culture.”

More in News

The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Ships in port for the week of May 11

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2024 schedule.… Continue reading

A person uses a garden hose in an effort to save a neighboring home from catching fire during the Eaton Fire on Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Dozens of members of Congress from both parties plead with Trump to unfreeze FEMA grants

Sen. Murkowski part of group drafting letter urging FEMA to begin spending already OK’d by Congress.

The six members of a joint House-Senate conference committee appointed to resolve differences in their versions of next year’s proposed state budget sign documents at their initial meeting Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol.
PFD of $1,000 or $1,400? Ban on abortion funds or not? Fate of state’s budget now in hands of six legislators

Conference committee seeks to resolve 400 differences in House, Senate budgets as session nears end.

Boxes of sugary cereal, including those from General Mills, fill a store’s shelves on April 16, 2025, in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
US House Republican plan would force states to pay for a portion of SNAP benefits

State costs would increase with higher error rates — Alaska currently has the highest.

Juneau Board of Education members including Will Muldoon (foreground), whose seat is currently open after he resigned April 21, meet at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Sept. 10, 2024. Five candidates for the open seat are scheduled to be interviewed on Saturday at TMMS. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Five people seeking open seat on Juneau school board set for public interviews on Saturday at TMMS

Former board member Steve Whitney, recent runner-up candidate Jenny Thomas among applicants.

Jörg Knorr, a solo travel journalist from Flensburg, Germany, smiles after taking a photo on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
German kayaker sets off to circumnavigate Admiralty Island

He made friends along the way in his mission to see Alaska.

A cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau on April 30, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
As foreign tourists stay away, US could lose $12.5 billion this year, tourism group says

Border detentions, confusion over visas deterring visitors, according to World Travel & Tourism Council.

Phase One of the HESCO barriers ends in the backyard of this residence on Rivercourt Way on Monday, May 12, 2025. The next extension, Phase One A, will install the barriers along the river adjacent to Dimond Park from the end of Rivercourt Way, interconnecting through a gap in the back fence. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Juneau Assembly approves extending HESCO barriers

After reviewing flood-fighting inundation maps, additional short-term mitigation deemed necessary.

House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp (R-Anchorage), right, presents an overview of a bill reviving pensions for public employees during a House floor session Monday, May 12, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
House passes bill reviving pensions for public employees, Senate expected to consider it next year

Supporters say it avoids pitfalls in previous system nixed in 2006 due to multibillion-dollar shortfall.

Most Read