High-stakes climate litigation is on the rise, with cases being pursued across the country and around the world by Our Children’s Trust (OCT), a left-wing public interest law firm with significant financial backing and connections to progressive activists. Established over a decade ago, OCT aims to provide legal services to youth in order to secure their rights to a safe climate. The firm has filed numerous federal lawsuits, spearheaded legal actions in all 50 states, and is involved in litigation in countries such as Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, India, and Uganda. The plaintiffs in these cases, often children and young adults, allege that government policies have violated their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
One of OCT’s most prominent cases is Juliana v. United States, filed in 2015, which argues that the federal government has contributed to global warming through policies supporting fossil fuel extraction, transportation, and combustion. The lawsuit is currently making its way through the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. OCT’s broader legal strategy involves asserting that federal or state agencies are harming the future of youth by allowing reliance on fossil fuels. The firm’s most recent lawsuit was filed against the Environmental Protection Agency, while one of its most successful cases, Held v. State of Montana, resulted in a favorable judgment last year, striking down certain state laws promoting fossil fuels.
While OCT’s financial backers remain hidden from public view, the firm has received significant support from major left-wing philanthropic nonprofits. The Amalgamated Charitable Foundation is believed to be OCT’s largest financier, and other organizations such as the Alex C. Walker Foundation, Impact Assets, and the Jacob & Terese Hershey Foundation have also provided substantial grants. OCT actively recruits children between the ages of 8 and 18 to serve as plaintiffs in their cases. The firm’s leadership, including co-executive directors Mat dos Santos and Julia Olson, have backgrounds in progressive activism, with dos Santos having served as legal director of the ACLU’s Oregon chapter, and Olson having worked at Earthjustice before starting her own firm, Wild Earth Advocates.
Critics of OCT, such as Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, accuse the firm of using children as political cover to further its agenda of shutting down responsible energy development. Knudsen has taken the lead in defending Montana’s energy policies in lawsuits brought by OCT. Overall, OCT reports over $5.4 million in net assets and received millions of dollars in financial contributions in recent years. Despite the group’s financial support and ties to established progressive activists and organizations, OCT continues to rally young people and file climate-related lawsuits with the goal of holding government agencies accountable for their role in contributing to global warming.
Among OCT’s leadership, dos Santos and Olson have been involved in various progressive causes, with dos Santos remaining on the boards of organizations such as the Transgender Law Center and Latino Network. Olson previously worked at Earthjustice and has ties to other climate-focused organizations. Despite criticisms from opponents who view OCT as an extremist group attempting to override the will of the people through the courts, the firm remains committed to its mission of securing legal rights for youth to a safe climate. As OCT continues to pursue high-stakes climate litigation, its influence and impact on environmental policy and activism are likely to remain significant in the years to come.
