EDA News Spring Edition 2025

THE FUTURE FIGHTS BACK
Why we must stand with youth for climate action

Young people today are stepping up to demand urgent climate action, pushing governments to move beyond corporate influence and political gridlock. While the activism of the 1960s led to major environmental reforms, today’s youth face an even greater challenge—and they’re rising to meet it. From electing climate-conscious leaders to driving fossil fuel divestment and taking governments to court, their impact is already undeniable.

But they can’t do it alone. The fight for a livable future depends on all of us standing with them—because this time, the stakes aren’t just high. They’re existential.

What's happening in EDA

This year, EDA is taking a strategic look at the organization from three perspectives:

Sustainability
Local advocacy
Extending our reach

These are deeply intertwined, and we are in an experimental stage of the strategy. Each of these have working parts that are happening independently, but all are related and will come together to form the execution of the strategy. We are forming teams to work on one of these three perspectives.

Sustainability is about how we structure our organization for the long term. What does EDA look like 10 years from now? We also look at how we remain viable with funding. We’ll examine our values, our mission and vision for the future. These are tweaks, not a complete change. There is a team working with the founders and the managing director to address this. We would enjoy hearing about your perspective, if you would like to be a part of this.

Local Advocacy is moving at a faster pace. Using the current water issue in Austin Texas, Brent Terry is leading a team that is developing step-by-step guidelines on how to navigate what can be a complicated bureaucracy. For example, he asked "where does my water come from" and no one he talked to could answer that question. It can be challenging and time consuming to find out who to talk to when advocating for an issue. Texas has a looming water crisis due to the rapid population growth and a major drought that has severely damaged the water supply.

Several bills in the Texas legislature to address the state's water issues are in the early stages of development. This team has outlined how to research the issues and advocate for specific bills and actions. This is advocacy and community engagement at the local level. Helping local citizens advocate for change is critical to our sustainability as an organization. The guidelines being created for the Texas issue can be adapted to address issues with water, food, and energy in other locations across the country.

Extending our reach is focused on how we engage with, and attract other organizations. This can be other nonprofits, businesses and business organizations that extend beyond our current areas of coverage. We are a small, nimble organization that needs to grow with fresh ideas and perspectives. We have shared our Why I joined EDA and this is just the start of how we attract others. As we focus on local advocacy, we will be able to share our "how" and our "what". The "how" is what the EDA team is working on, and the "what" will be our wins.

Please feel free to get involved at this early stage of experimentation. Your insight, ideas and participation will help us create a more sustainable world.

In August 2023, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled in favor of the youth plaintiffs, declaring the MEPA limitation unconstitutional. She stated that the restriction violated the plaintiffs' rights to a clean environment by preventing comprehensive environmental assessments of proposed projects. The state appealed this decision, maintaining that Montana's individual contributions to global emissions were negligible and that policy changes would have minimal impact on global climate change.

The Montana Supreme Court heard the appeal and, in December 2024, upheld the lower court's ruling in a 6-1 decision. The justices affirmed that the state's constitution guarantees citizens the right to a stable climate system, emphasizing that environmental protections must be upheld regardless of Montana's relative share of global emissions. This landmark ruling not only mandates that Montana consider greenhouse gas emissions in its environmental reviews but also sets a significant precedent for similar climate litigation across the United States.

Lead plaintiff Rikki Held expressed that the ruling is a victory not just for them, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change.

Seed is Australia's first Indigenous youth-led climate network, dedicated to building a movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth to fight for climate justice. By providing training and mentoring opportunities, Seed equips these young leaders with the skills, confidence, and networks necessary to spearhead climate justice campaigns. This approach ensures that Indigenous voices are at the forefront of environmental advocacy, preserving traditional knowledge and cultural connections.

Education and training are pivotal to Seed's strategy. They organize 'Grassroots Gatherings,' in-person training sessions designed to empower and engage young First Nations individuals passionate about combating climate change. In 2024, over 50 young people convened in Naarm (Melbourne) for such a gathering, fostering friendships, establishing networks and developing strategies for future campaigns. These events are instrumental in building a cohesive and informed youth movement ready to tackle environmental challenges.

Turning Out Young Voters – In the 2022 midterm elections, Sunrise reached over 3 million voters under 35, urging them to support Green New Deal candidates. Through mass phone and text campaigns, along with campus organizing, they helped drive youth voter turnout and shift the political landscape.

Building Local Power – The Sunrise Hubs network has expanded across the U.S., bringing schools and communities together to push for climate policies and declare a national climate emergency. These hubs emphasize that the Green New Deal isn’t just about protecting the planet—it’s about creating millions of good jobs and prioritizing working-class and marginalized communities.

Challenging Corporate Influence – In January 2025, Sunrise launched the "People Not Billionaires" pledge, demanding that Democratic candidates refuse corporate PAC and lobbyist money. Partnering with groups like Gen-Z for Change, Justice Democrats, and the Green New Deal Network, they are calling for a return to grassroots-powered politics.

Empowering Student Activists – In February 2025, Sunrise hosted the first Southern Campus Climate Gathering, bringing together over 100 student activists from 23 universities across 13 states. The event focused on training and networking to strengthen climate action in the South, proving that students are essential to the movement.