A 15-year-old boy suing President Barack Obama over climate change says the president deserves an "F-minus" on protecting the world from the effects of fossil fuels.
Xiuhtezcatl Tonatiuh Martinez, of Colorado, along with 20 other youth activists, sued the Obama administration in Oregon federal court for not doing enough on the climate change front, reported
CNN.
"It's basically a bunch of kids saying you're not doing your job," Tonatiuh told CNN at the United Nation's climate change conference in Paris. "You're failing, you know. F-minus. We're holding you accountable for your lack of action."
The environmental group
Our Children's Trust issued a statement Nov. 12, claiming the energy industry is threated by the lawsuit because "nearly every oil and gas company in the world asked for permission to oppose" it.
"In an unusual step, the immense fossil fuel industry trade groups all filed pleadings in the U.S. district court for the District of Oregon seeking to join the lawsuit side by side with President Obama to protect their companies' interests," said the trust statement.
Tonatiuh, a member of group Earth Guardians, said the energy industry's opposition to the lawsuit demonstrates what they are up against in addressing climate change issues.
"The federal government has been making decisions in the best interest of multinational corporations and their profits, but not in the best interest of my generation and those to come," said Tonatiuh.
"Instead of changing their business model to meet the scientific reality of climate change, these companies are demanding we adapt to an uninhabitable world that supports their profits. When you compare the two, I think it’s clear that our right to clean air and a healthy atmosphere, is more important than their 'need' to make money off destroying our future."
Obama addressed the Paris climate summit Monday, saying the United States has had an impact on the current climate, noted
The New York Times.
"I've come here personally, as the leader of the world's largest economy and the second-largest emitter," said Obama. "To say that the United States of America not only recognizes our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it."
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