“For Our Generation and the Ones to Follow”: Intergenerational justice and the Child-as-savior trope in Juliana v. United States and the Netflix documentary Youth v Gov
Global warming is the most pressing intergenerational problem of our time, yet those most affected by it—youth and future generations—are often denied a voice in the debate on climate change. This article explores how the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case Juliana v. United States and the 2020 Netf...
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| Argitaratua izan da: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ejas, |
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| Egile nagusia: | |
| Formatua: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Hizkuntza: | Anglais |
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European journal of American studies
2025
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| Sarrera elektronikoa: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Gaia: | Global warming is the most pressing intergenerational problem of our time, yet those most affected by it—youth and future generations—are often denied a voice in the debate on climate change. This article explores how the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case Juliana v. United States and the 2020 Netflix documentary Youth v Gov on the surface seem to offer a voice to youth, but in reality reinforce this marginalization of youth voices. Drawing on Lee Edelman’s concept of reproductive futurism, I argue that the case and documentary rely on the child-as-innocent-savior trope to simultaneously cast the young plaintiffs as innocent saviors of society and make them responsible for fixing a planet ruined by the very adults who look to them for salvation and redemption. I analyze both the court documents—the oral arguments, briefs, and decisions—as well as scenes from the documentary to demonstrate the different ways the court functions as a site of intergenerational clash and cooperation. I argue that the case and documentary simultaneously offer and deprive the young plaintiffs of a meaningful voice in the debate on the environmental future of, and the role of intergenerational justice in the United States. |
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