“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 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.