They Knew

The US Federal Government's Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis

Introduction by Julia Olson, Philip Gregory
Ebook
On sale Aug 24, 2021 | 304 Pages | 9780262366793
A devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government's leading role in bringing about today's climate crisis.

In 2015, a group of twenty-one young people sued the federal government for violating their constitutional rights by promoting the climate catastrophe, depriving them of life, liberty, and property without due process of law. They Knew offers evidence for their claims, presenting a devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government's role in bringing about today's climate crisis. James Speth, tapped by the plaintiffs as an expert on climate, documents how administrations from Carter to Trump--despite having information about climate change and the connection to fossil fuels--continued aggressive support of a fossil fuel based energy system.
 
What did the federal government know and when did it know it? Speth asks, echoing another famous cover up. What did the federal government do and what did it not do? They Knew (an updated version of the Expert Report Speth prepared for the lawsuit) presents the most compelling indictment yet of the government's role in the climate crisis, showing a forty-year failure to take action.

Since Juliana v. United States was filed, the federal government has repeatedly delayed the case. Yet even in legal limbo, it has helped inspire a generation of youthful climate activists.
 
An Our Children’s Trust Book
Introduction ix
Julia Olson and Philip Gregory

Author's Note xxvii

The Speth Expert Report for Juliana V. United States 1
Overview 3
1 Climate Science Knowledge the Carter Administration Inherited 7
2 The Jimmy Carter Administration (1977-1981) 13
3 The Ronald Reagan Administration (1981-1989) 41
4 The George H. W. Bush Administration (1989-1993) 59
5 The William J. Clinton Administration (1993-2001) 85
6 The George W. Bush Administration (2001-2009) 99
7 The Barack Obama Administration (2009-2017) 115
8 The Donald J. Trump Administration (2017-2020) 133
9 Conclusion 151
Appendix: The Procedural History of Juliana 157
Julia Olson and Philip Gregory
Qualifications of the Author 167
Abbreviations 169
Reader Access to Exhibits 173
Notes 175
References 219
Index 249
James Gustave Speth served as member and chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality during the Carter Administration and from 1993 to 1999 was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and served as chair of the UN Development Group. A retired Professor of Law and Senior Fellow at the Vermont Law School, he has also taught at Georgetown and Yale. He is the founder of World Resources Institute and a cofounder of Natural Resources Defense Council.

About

A devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government's leading role in bringing about today's climate crisis.

In 2015, a group of twenty-one young people sued the federal government for violating their constitutional rights by promoting the climate catastrophe, depriving them of life, liberty, and property without due process of law. They Knew offers evidence for their claims, presenting a devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government's role in bringing about today's climate crisis. James Speth, tapped by the plaintiffs as an expert on climate, documents how administrations from Carter to Trump--despite having information about climate change and the connection to fossil fuels--continued aggressive support of a fossil fuel based energy system.
 
What did the federal government know and when did it know it? Speth asks, echoing another famous cover up. What did the federal government do and what did it not do? They Knew (an updated version of the Expert Report Speth prepared for the lawsuit) presents the most compelling indictment yet of the government's role in the climate crisis, showing a forty-year failure to take action.

Since Juliana v. United States was filed, the federal government has repeatedly delayed the case. Yet even in legal limbo, it has helped inspire a generation of youthful climate activists.
 
An Our Children’s Trust Book

Table of Contents

Introduction ix
Julia Olson and Philip Gregory

Author's Note xxvii

The Speth Expert Report for Juliana V. United States 1
Overview 3
1 Climate Science Knowledge the Carter Administration Inherited 7
2 The Jimmy Carter Administration (1977-1981) 13
3 The Ronald Reagan Administration (1981-1989) 41
4 The George H. W. Bush Administration (1989-1993) 59
5 The William J. Clinton Administration (1993-2001) 85
6 The George W. Bush Administration (2001-2009) 99
7 The Barack Obama Administration (2009-2017) 115
8 The Donald J. Trump Administration (2017-2020) 133
9 Conclusion 151
Appendix: The Procedural History of Juliana 157
Julia Olson and Philip Gregory
Qualifications of the Author 167
Abbreviations 169
Reader Access to Exhibits 173
Notes 175
References 219
Index 249

Author

James Gustave Speth served as member and chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality during the Carter Administration and from 1993 to 1999 was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and served as chair of the UN Development Group. A retired Professor of Law and Senior Fellow at the Vermont Law School, he has also taught at Georgetown and Yale. He is the founder of World Resources Institute and a cofounder of Natural Resources Defense Council.

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