Young environmentalists won a landmark climate change ruling in Montana. Will it change anything?

By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Young environmental activists prevailed in a closely watched Montana lawsuit that said state officials weren’t doing enough to protect them from climate change. Legal observers called it a landmark victory for the 16 plaintiffs. It marks the first time a court in the U.S. has declared government has a constitutional duty to protect people from climate change. Whether Republican-dominated Montana does anything about those emissions is another question. Legal experts say the ruling was carefully crafted to avoid wading too deeply into policy matters considered the function of other branches of government. If it stands, Montana officials no longer can legally ignore the huge contributions to global warming made by fossil fuels.