Climate: France brought before European justice

The youngest is 8 years old, the oldest 21. But as we know, value does not await the number of years.

Six young Portuguese, worried about the state of the planet that adults will leave them, may be on the way to bend 33 countries, including France.

The European Court of Human Rights has just ruled admissible their application.

Their objective: to encourage these states to take more action against global warming

Among the plaintiffs, the young André Oliveira, 12, told us in September that "the click" had occurred for him and his sister Sofia, "in 2017, when Portugal suffered a big wave of fires, which distressed us a lot ”.

Sofia and André live south of Lisbon where a heat wave in August 2018 caused the mercury to rise to a record level of 44 ° C.

Last summer, Portugal suffered as never before from the heatwave, recording its hottest July in 90 years!

France, also in the sights of Portuguese adolescents, has also been exposed to global warming.

“The fact that the judges of the European Court of Human Rights recognize the urgency of our request gives me a lot of hope,” confides the teenager.

But what I would really like is for European governments to do immediately what scientists say is necessary to protect our future.

"

Supported by Global Legal Action Network

The Portuguese youth petition was brought with the support of the Global Legal Action Network (Glan), a non-profit organization that takes legal action around the world.

"Knowing that a tiny minority of complaints lodged with the European Court of Human Rights benefit from an accelerated procedure and from communication around it, this step is very significant", estimates Gearóid Ó Cuinn, director of Glan.

It marks, according to the NGO, an important step "towards a possible historical judgment on climate change".

If their action is successful, the countries involved will be legally obliged to further reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

"This decision comes just a few weeks before the European Union sets its emissions target by 2030," recalls Gerry Liston, legal advisor to Glan.

It will take no less than 65% reduction in emissions for EU member states to meet their obligation to young complainants and to so many others.

"

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The implicated countries must respond to the action of young complainants by the end of February.

Or three months.

This is precisely the same timeframe given by the Council of State to France to demonstrate that it was indeed taking measures to achieve its commitments in terms of reducing greenhouse gases.

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Because the highest administrative court has also responded favorably to a litigation related to climate change.

It had been seized by the coastal town of Grande-Synthe (North), joined by other towns and NGOs, which initiated a similar action against the state.