Swiss pensioners put their foot down against the state’s climate policy.
Today, the European Court of Justice ruled that the “climate factions” are right.
– It is highly relevant for Sweden, where the government has taken measures which mean that we raise our emissions rather than lower them, says Jonas Ebbesson to TV4 Nyheterna.
States have an obligation to phase out greenhouse gases in the coming decades to mitigate the climate crisis. That is what the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg ruled in a unique case today, where Swiss pensioners sued the state for not doing enough on the climate issue.
The “climate seniors” believe, among other things, that the heat waves hit the elderly particularly hard – and because health is a human right, the European Court of Justice gives the pensioners the right.
Jonas Ebbesson, professor of environmental law at Stockholm University, believes that similar cases may appear in Sweden as well.
– It is highly relevant for Sweden, where the government has taken measures which mean that we raise our emissions rather than lower them, says Jonas Ebbesson to TV4 Nyheterna.
Yesterday 12:11
Pensioners get right in historic climate goal: “This was very important”
Aurora is suing the Swedish state
The youth-led group Aurora has for two years run a process to sue the Swedish state for lack of climate work.
Aurora believes that today’s verdict increases their chances of getting justice.
– Now we have received clear guidelines that states have a responsibility to protect human rights from the effects of the climate crisis. It also means that the scope for national courts to decide on this responsibility and to specify this responsibility for each individual country,
that that space will be bigger, says Ida Edling, spokeswoman for Auroramålet.