A state environmental lawsuit that grew out of a concept championed by UO law professor Mary Wood is featured in a story in the online edition of Forbes magazine.

Wood helped develop the idea of atmospheric trust litigation, which argues that the atmosphere is a shared resource that should be treated as part of the public trust and protected for future generations. The lawsuit now being argued in Lane County Circuit Court seeks a ruling requiring the state to take stronger steps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Wood is the Philip H. Knight Professor of Law at the UO School of Law and faculty director of the school’s environmental and natural resources law program. The Forbes story traces the history of the Oregon suit and atmospheric trust litigation, noting that the effort is led by the Oregon-based advocacy group Our Children’s Trust.

To read the full story, see “Why Teenagers Are Suing States Over Climate Change.”

A story on the court hearing held Tuesday also appeared in The Register-Guard. See "Judge hears historic climate case."