Evidence in the Juliana v. United States suit shows that U. S. presidents have been warned about the effects of fossil fuels for more than 50 years
There’s a White House memorandum that addresses « the carbon dioxide problem » in straightforward terms. The process, it reads, is simple. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has the effect of a pane of glass in a greenhouse. With all the fossil fuels man is now burning, more carbon dioxide is entering the atmosphere and raising temperatures, which in turn will raise sea levels.
« Goodbye New York, » it reads. « Goodbye Washington, for that matter. »
The memo isn’t remarkable for its dire warning. It’s noteworthy because it is dated almost 50 years ago: September 17,1969.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, an adviser to President Richard Nixon at the time, authored it to raise awareness of the « apocalyptic change. »
« I would think this is a subject that the Administration ought to get involved with, » he wrote.
The memo is one of hundreds of records submitted in Juliana v. United States, a court case against the federal government. As correspondent Steve Kroft reports this week on 60 Minutes, a lawyer filed the case in 2015 on behalf of a group of kids who want the courts to block the U. S. government from continuing to support fossil fuels.
Oregon lawyer Julia Olson is leading the charge, along with 21 « climate kids » she recruited from environmental groups around the country. The kids range in age from 11 to 22 and include lead plaintiff Kelsey Juliana, a University of Oregon student.
The suit alleges that the use of fossil fuels is causing climate change, and the government’s continued support of the fossil fuel industry endangers the plaintiffs’ future and violates their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
Olson began constructing the case eight years ago and has now assembled a timeline of what past presidential administrations knew about the connection between fossil fuels and climate change.
