Why Did These Kids Sue the State DOT?
From Active Towns by John Simmerman
May 1, 2026 · 1h 7m · Season 11 · Episode 337
About this episode
This episode discusses the Navahine Settlement, a landmark youth-led constitutional climate case in Hawaii addressing transportation-related climate pollution.
In this episode, we dive into the details of the Navahine Settlement with the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, with Luca Cuniberti, Hawaii Youth Transportation Council member, and Doorae Shin, Navahine Settlement Coordinator with Our Children's Trust. The settlement agreement, which the court has approved, recognizes children’s constitutional rights to a life-sustaining climate and mobilizes HDOT to plan and implement transformative changes of Hawaiʻi’s transportation system to achieve zero emissions in all ground transportation, and interisland sea and air transportation, by 2045. The court will retain jurisdiction to enforce the agreement for the next 21 years until its terms have been achieved. Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is the world’s first youth-led constitutional climate case addressing climate pollution from the transportation sector. Thirteen youth from across the Hawaiian Islands brought the case in June 2022, asserting their rights to a safe and healthy climate and asking the Hawaiʻi state government to take necessary actions to meet the climate emergency and enable Hawaiʻi’s paradigm shift to a climate-safe, zero emissions…
People in this episode
Host: John Simmerman
Guests: Luca Cuniberti, Doorae Shin
Topics covered
- climate change
- youth activism
- transportation policy
- legal settlements
- environmental justice
Keywords
- Navahine Settlement
- Hawaii Department of Transportation
- youth-led climate case
- zero emissions
- climate rights
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Hawaii Youth Transportation Council, Our Children's Trust
Places: Hawaii
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