The climate crisis threatens the health, well-being, and future of children. Physically, children are more vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution, extreme heat, and reduced access to clean water. Mentally, they are increasingly burdened by anxiety, grief, and trauma as they witness the degradation of ecosystems and the loss of places they love.

The climate crisis also jeopardizes their future opportunities, diminishing access to natural resources, reliable food systems, and safe housing. When state laws and energy policies continue to promote climate pollution, they lock in these harms—forcing this generation and the next to live with the consequences. 

The youth plaintiffs who filed Dunn v. Wisconsin Public Service Commission are already experiencing many of these harms firsthand. They face increasing exposure to fossil fuel pollution, extreme weather events and environmental degradation, which reduces their access to healthy rivers and lakes. For Indigenous youth plaintiffs, the crisis also threatens their ability to practice tribal lifeways, including harvesting traditional Anishinaabe foods like fish, wild rice, and maple sugar. Looking ahead, these children face a future with a destabilized climate, putting biodiversity, livelihoods, and overall quality of life at risk.