What if I told you that a group of 21 kids were joining forces to take a stand against something they felt needed to be addressed? What if I also told you the ‘force’ they were standing up against was President Obama and a few other federal agencies?

That’s right, these 21 young people are taking a stand against, what one plaintiff calls, “the United States’ failure to protect her right to a future not wrecked by climate change” as reported by CNN.

These children are of all different ages, some as young as 9-years-old while others are in their late teens. They are suing the Obama administration in federal court over what they consider to be the government’s poor effort to address climate change, according to CNN.

My first question when I heard about this was how did this all come together to begin with? I did a little research and found some more information. According to my findings, the plaintiffs are from all over the country, including Dr. James E. Hansen, a well-known climate scientist.

The claim is that the United States’ government has neglected to address the changing climate and has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, property and also failed to protect essential public trust resources, according to Our Children’s Trust.

On April 8, 2016 a District Court ruled in favor of the case and it was considered a major victory for those involved. As it stands now, the ruling is currently under review by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken. Oral arguments were scheduled for Sept. 13, 2016 where the case will either proceed toward trial or to appeal, as reported by Our Children’s Trust.

Before I continue, let me just state that I am very impressed by the 21 young adults that have agreed to be apart of this lawsuit. While they are young, I think it is very admirable that they are taking a stand and fighting for their rights as citizens.

The majority of the plaintiffs were interviewed by CNN and I highly suggest you read their comments on the lawsuit; many of them are considering not only their own generation but also the generations to follow. I find it admirable that they are fighting for this cause, especially given some of the ages of the plaintiffs.

What I found interesting about this whole ordeal is that President Obama just announced he will be creating the Atlantic Ocean’s first United States Marine monument, according to The New York Times. Obama is designating the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument at an ocean conservation meeting, reported The New York Times.

In a statement Obama made at the State Department he explained, “If we’re going to leave our children with oceans like the ones that were left to us, then we’re going to have to act, and we’re going to have to act boldy.”

The new monument will lie in an area of the Atlantic where projections predict the temperature will warm up three times as fast as the global average and is also the habitat for endangered turtles and whales, along with deep-sea coral and a diverse variety of fish, according to The New York Times. This will cause an immediate ban on oil and gas exploration and drilling within the monument’s boundaries along with a ban on commercial fishing.

It really seems like President Obama has given no lenience to this issue, as the commercial fishing industry is not overly pleased with the restrictions the monument will create. The only thing so far that I have found that he is allowing for is lobster and red crab fisheries to continue their businesses for the next seven years before having to abide by the regulations, as reported by The New York Times.

It’s not a small monument either, as many are comparing it to the size of Connecticut. This new monument will sit approximately 130-miles off the coast of Cape Cod, reported The New York Times.

Yet, while fisheries and other groups strongly oppose this idea, it seems to be a notable stride towards protecting the environment and battling climate change. If you read about this monument on various news websites and sources, you will find a lot of different comments being made by President Obama about the environment.

He mentions his childhood in Hawaii and also discusses the various different beauties of nature. It sounds as if he is really passionate about this project and the cause overall. This makes it all the more surprising to hear about the Obama administration getting sued over neglect to the environment.

This entire situation is rather ironic. While many will argue that climate change and the recent changes to the planet are natural and a natural part of life, I tend to disagree.

There seems to be no question about the fact that our existence and activities on the planet have radically altered the natural course of life on earth and the development of the planet. The real problem here is the lack of concern some people have towards the well-being of the planet that provides us a home, food, materials for survival and essentially life in a nutshell.

Now of course, I could have written two separate articles about these stories but I wanted readers to see them together. The first thought that popped into my head after reading about this monument is “President Obama is trying to earn ‘brownie points’ because he is being sued by a bunch of kids.”

The thought made me chuckle, I won’t lie. It’s an interesting series of events which makes me wonder if the Obama administration is making a last ditch effort to prove they care about the environment.

Obama’s statements show that he genuinely seems to care about the environment and what happens to it after he is gone. His passion about providing a safe and livable planet for generations to follow shows. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is a really good way to prove a point or get himself out of a potentially sticky situation.

What is sad about this is that even if he truly cares as much as he claims to, it does not change the fact that these events happening in this order make the monument gesture seem less genuine.

Also, I want to add that I do not think President Obama or his team purposefully neglected the environment. I mean, give the man some credit. He has been running a country with all sorts of things going on like equal rights movements, terrorist threats and a raging battle over gun regulations and rights and more.

It can’t be an easy job and I am sure that the majority of the days are stressful and overwhelming. I could easily see how other important issues get put on the back burner simply because he cannot do everything or be everywhere all at once, much like everyone else.

While I am happy to hear about this monument, I am saddened by the fact that it comes in the wake of a lawsuit. Good for President Obama for still making it happen regardless of the situation. I truly hope that this was not a last minute plan to seem more ‘environmentally friendly.’

Overall, I think it is everyone’s responsibility to care for the planet but while these kids are directing their frustrations towards our government, what about the other governments of the world? They too must be held responsible for the neglect of the environment.

In short, we all share the planet and monuments, much like President Obama’s, remind us of that. People tend to be forgetful and unappreciative from time-to-time when it comes to the environment.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a perfect person and I am not as ‘eco-friendly’ as I could be, but I think what both of these stories show us is that we all could make more of an effort to improve our environment. 

It’s never too late to start making a change. As the wise words of The Lorax says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

And it’s really not. These kids and many others will tell you that.