Hot news: young Portuguese accuse 32 European countries of non-compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement
In an unprecedented move, six young Portuguese have taken the matter to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to indict 32 European countries, including members of the European Union as well as Russia, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway and the United Kingdom, for non-compliance with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. These young applicants believe that “climate inaction” has consequences on their health and living conditions, in violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.
Among the plaintiffs are Sofia Oliveira and André Oliveira, who witnessed the devastation of the 2017 fires in Portugal, and who consider that European governments are not doing enough to prevent such tragedies and protect the environment.
The European Court of Human Rights paid particular attention to this case, which was treated as a priority. The debates were held before the Grand Chamber of the ECHR, composed of 17 judges, in order to examine the admissibility of the request.
If the young Portuguese’s complaint is deemed admissible, which remains to be confirmed, this case could open a new era in climate disputes in Europe. Governments should then be forced to take more drastic measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and meet their commitments made under the Paris Agreement.
The stakes in this trial are therefore considerable, both morally and politically. The plaintiffs, supported by numerous NGOs and environmental activists across Europe, hope that this legal action will move the lines and lead to real awareness of the responsibilities of States in the fight against global warming.
We now have to wait for the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, which should come within a few years. In the meantime, this trial illustrates the determination and mobilization of an entire generation which refuses to see its future compromised by the inaction of the authorities in the face of the climate emergency.