Six young Portuguese have condemned the governments of 32 countries for failing to respect international agreements concluded in recent years to combat climate change. The case is being examined by the European Court of Human Rights. The governments of the 27 member states of the European Union, Norway, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Russia and Turkey are involved. They are accused of failing to implement the necessary measures to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve the goal set in the Paris Climate Agreement of limiting the increase in average global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Court’s ruling would be binding on states and could set a precedent for other cases like this one. The young Portuguese, aged between 11 and 24, claim that the government’s inaction violates their basic rights and has, among other things, worsened their respiratory problems or allergies. At the center of their allegations are the consequences of the severe fires that hit Portugal in 2017.
Governments have responded that young people do not have enough evidence that they have suffered as a direct result of climate change or that it poses an imminent threat to human health. Furthermore, they argue that the European Court of Human Rights does not have jurisdiction to rule on the case. The trial is expected to last between 9 and 18 months.
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