Causes.com
| 9.22.23

Six Young People Taking 32 Nations to Court Over Climate Inaction

Do you support the lawsuit?

What's the story?

  • In the world's largest climate legal action to date, six young people will appear at the European Court of Human Rights to try to force 32 nations to escalate their emissions and take meaningful action on climate change.
  • The six claimants are all from Portugal and between the ages of 11 and 24. They were inspired to act due to their experiences with catastrophic wildfires that hit the Leiria region in 2017.
  • The claimants began their action six years ago, and have raised over $100,000 in worldwide donations. 
  • The countries named in the action are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

What do the claimants want?

  • They will argue in the grand chamber of Strasbourg's court that the 32 nations' policies on climate change amount to a breach of human rights obligations. They are seeking a ruling that compels the countries to rapidly reduce their emissions.
  • The lawyers will present evidence that the 32 nations' current policies will guarantee that the world will warm by 3 degrees Celsius in the lifetime of the claimants.
  • The case argues that the claimants' rights to life, to be free from inhumane or degrading treatment, to privacy and family life, and to be free from discrimination are not being upheld by the European nations.

The European response

  • The Greek government defended itself, saying:

"The effects of climate change as recorded so far do not seem to directly affect human life or human health."

  • The Irish government rejected the claimants' argument, denying that their lives were in imminent or immediate danger.
  • The Portuguese government said the claim consisted of "future fears, constituting only mere assumptions or general probabilities."

An unprecedented case

"This case is unprecedented in its scale and its consequence. Never before have so many countries had to defend themselves in front of any court anywhere in the world."

"These European governments are failing to protect us. We are living in the face of climate impacts across Europe. In Portugal this summer we experienced heatwaves which are getting worse and worse. Our ability to do anything, to live our lives, is becoming restricted. The climate crisis is affecting our physical health and our mental health. How could you not be scared?"

"These young people face a future of unbearable heat. The latest IPCC report describes these conditions as unlivable. Yet these governments are trivializing their claims. But our case is really very simple—the harm that climate change is causing, and will continue to cause, to the mental and physical health of these young people and to their wellbeing, is a clear violation of their human rights."

 

Do you support the lawsuit?

 

-Emma Kansiz 

(Photo Credit: Arc Digital/Ted Eytan)

  • 3,959
    Jim2423
    Voted Support
    09/25/2023

    Go for it. Big corporations don't listen. Greed is their policy u til the end of the earth.

  • 53.7k
    Brian
    Voted Support
    09/23/2023

    Once again I support young people fighting for their future and their planet. I hope more actions like this continue across the globe until companies and governments stop the climate crisis and take this seriously.

  • 2,464
    Martha
    Voted Support
    09/23/2023

    I totally support this lawsuit.

  • 27.8k
    Frank_001
    Voted Support
    09/23/2023

    I absolutely support the legal action of these young people. The more attention that is brought to Climate Change, the more of a chance we have to save humanity.
    I cannot believe the responses of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
    I hope they get representation that make an effective a case to stop or at least further slow destructive emissions in Europe.

  • 9,353
    larubia
    Voted Support
    09/22/2023

    This generation is fighting for their future and the future of our planet. Governments across the globe should be acting in young peoples' best interests, but politicians continue to favor corporate interests, including dirty fuels, instead. The ONLY way governments will act differently, is if they are forced. Nice work youngins!!!

  • 102.0k
    LeslieG
    Voted Support
    09/22/2023

    This will be a landmark climate case that the European Court is taking very seriously having fast tracked it, dismissed 2 motions from countrues, allowed 3rd parties to join and will be heard by 17 judges due to the seriousness of the legal questions raised. The 1st hyper link below is for crowd funding if you support this issue.

     6 Portuguese young people ranging in age from 11 to 24 started legal action 6 years ago after the Leiria fires 7 years ago killed 65 people and destroyed 100 square miles of forest which has only gotten worse (109 degrees in 2023) are now taking 32 countries (27 EU countries + Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, UK) to court because their lives have been restricted by heat waves and fires, and their health put at risk based on European Convention on Human Rights, Articles 2, 8, and 14 because their right to life has been threatened by climate change and forest fires, and right to privacy includes physical and mental well-being by forcing them to be indoors.

     The European Court of Human Rights has taken it seriously as its one of the few cases that was fast tracked giving countries a 1 year deadline to respond, and denying 2 petitions by countries to remove it from fast track, and to only hear the case based on admissibility. The court is also allowing 3rd parties (Amnesty International, European Comission) to join. Also, the Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights relinquished jurisdiction deferring to the Grand Chamber of 17 judges due to the serious questions on interpretations of law.

     Countries even their own government (Portugal) and ones like Greece which experienced fires too and have climate ministers that agree still plan to argue that it does not directly effect human life of human health, there is no imminent or immediate risk to their lives (Ireland), and no cause and effect relationship has been established (Greece).

       "Our ability to do anything, to live our lives, is becoming restricted. The climate crisis is affecting our physical health and our mental health...in particular increasing heatwaves, which restrict their daily lives, studies and outdoor activities; exacerbate health conditions, such as asthma, and affect their mental health...it is hard to concentrate in such heat, it is hard to sleep, and then it is hard to study again. It impacts on my whole life.”

     "Lawyers will present evidence that current policies of the 32 countries mean the world is on track to reach 3C of global heating within the lifetime of the young people....experts say at 3C there will be even more extreme heatwaves which last for a month or more."

     "The complaint relies on Articles 2, 8, and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect the right to life, right to privacy, and right to not experience discrimination. The complainants claim that their right to life is threatened by the effects of climate change in Portugal such as forest fires; that their right to privacy includes their physical and mental wellbeing, which is threatened by heatwaves that force them to spend more time indoors; and that as young people, they stand to experience the worst effects of climate change."

     "On November 30, 2020, The European Court of Human Rights fast-tracked and communicated the case to 33 defendant countries, requiring them to respond by the end of February 2021."

     "the Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights relinquished jurisdiction in favor of the Grand Chamber. The case is now going to be examined by the ECtHR's Grand Chamber of 17 judges on account of the fact that the case raises a serious question affecting the interpretation of the Convention (Art 30 ECHR)."

    1st link below is to contribute to the crowd funding if this case if you support it.

    https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/youth4climatejustice/

     https://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/youth-for-climate-justice-v-austria-et-al/

     https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/09/22/news/young-people-take-32-european-countries-court-over-climate-policies

     https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/14/young-people-to-take-32-european-countries-to-court-over-climate-policies