A better description would be "Climate Warriors."

That is one of the first things to know about the six young people from Eugene who are plaintiffs in Juliana vs. U.S., a groundbreaking federal lawsuit aimed at holding the American government accountable for promoting fossil fuels and failing to address climate change.

The plaintiffs — 21 youth and young adults, including many from Oregon — finally are headed for their day in court. Despite the legal protestations of the Trump administration, the trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 29 in U.S. District Court in Eugene.

"Climate Kids" doesn’t give the plaintiffs the gravitas they deserve. Yes, they are young, but they make clear that this is their lawsuit — not their parents’, not their lawyers’. They also don’t care for being called "future leaders." They assert that they are leaders now and will continue being so.

Besides, since the lawsuit was filed in September 2015, some plaintiffs have crossed into adulthood. They remain as committed to their cause as ever.

"This case helps to address the needs of every single person, and being, on Earth. Nothing is inescapable from climate devastation," lead plaintiff Kelsey Juliana, now a University of Oregon student, said in her recent interview with The Register-Guard.

The case already is real-life lesson about the intersection of science and civics. Their 95-page lawsuit is like a primer on global warming, constitutional law and student activism. It calls on the courts to "apply the underlying principles of the Constitution to new circumstances unforeseen by the framers, such as the irreversible destruction of the natural heritage of our whole nation." Left unresolved, it says, the harms "will be irreversible."

The lawsuit wants federal officials "to cease their permitting, authorizing, and subsidizing of fossil fuels and, instead, move to swiftly phase out CO2 emissions" and implement a national plan to stabilize the climate.

People might disagree about the validity of the lawsuit, but the young people raise legitimate concerns. They detail how ocean acidification, rising sea levels, drought, wildfires and other aspects of climate change have affected their food, their physical and emotional health, and their enjoyment of the outdoors. Their individual stories in the lawsuit read like a compendium of why we Oregonians value our quality of life.

These climate warriors belong to a generation for whom activism and growing up go hand-in-hand.

Others in their generation also have made national news, such as the students from Parkland, Florida, who are tenaciously advocating for improved school safety and responsible gun regulations in the aftermath of the February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Closer to home, Oregon Student Voices conducted the first student-run statewide survey of Oregon high school students. On Monday, the group rallied at the Oregon State Capitol to lobby for education improvements, including what the survey results determined what was the number one issue for K-12 policymakers: student access to mental health resources.

Sarah Ali, a senior at Centennial High School and a leader in Oregon Student Voices, called on students to amplify their voices, cross political and social divides, and develop "a new vision for our country that has a main focus of unity instead of discord."

The climate warriors, like their colleagues in Oregon Student Voices and elsewhere, are all normal young people, out to change the world.

They deserve our respect and appreciation. They are leaders — today as well as tomorrow.