Ninth Circuit Probes EPA Analysis and Youth Harm Connection (1)

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday struggled with how the EPA’s use of a specific economic metric when proposing major regulations is traceable to alleged climate harms to children.

The group of 18 plaintiffs in their July 2025 brief challenged the government’s practice of “discounting,” which is an economic tool that compares costs and benefits of a regulation across time while valuing future benefits less.

They claimed the method as applied to regulating greenhouse gas emissions undervalues the lives of children while prioritizing economic value for present adults.

“This case presents a controversy between children—the ...