Support unprecedented youth climate case against 33 European countries
Support unprecedented youth climate case against 33 European countries
This case is raising funds for its stretch target. Your pledge will be collected within the next 24-48 hours (and it only takes two minutes to pledge!)
Latest: July 1, 2022
A Major Development!
The European Court of Human Rights has referred our case to the 17-judge Grand Chamber. Only a tiny fraction of cases – 0.03% – which the Court believes raise the most serious issues are …
Read moreEuropean governments are categorically failing to enact the deep and urgent emissions cuts required to avert a climate catastrophe.
With GLAN’s support, a group of Portuguese children and young adults have brought an unprecedented climate change case against 33* countries to the European Court of Human Rights. We’re now asking for your support to face the counter-arguments of these governments and their numerous lawyers.
This case centres on the rising threat which climate change poses to the lives and wellbeing, both physical and mental, of these young people. If successful, these 33 countries would be legally bound, not only to ramp up their emissions cuts, but also to tackle their overseas contributions to climate change, including their exports of fossil fuels.
We were able to get this case to court following a successful CrowdJustice crowdfunding campaign. Once again we are asking for your support to help us secure a victory in this vital case.
Meet the children and young adults involved
Four of the youth-applicants in this case, Catarina (20), Cláudia (20), Martim (17) and Mariana (8) live in Leiria, one of the regions worst-hit by the devastating forest fires which killed over 120 people in Portugal in 2017. Sofia (15) and André (12), are from Lisbon where, during a heatwave in August 2018, a new temperature record of 44⁰C was set. These young people are already experiencing the effects of climate change. But what they have felt so far does not compare to what they face in future. Experts predict that, without urgent action from governments, they could face having to endure lethal month-long heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 40°C.
The Covid-19 crisis has not made the climate emergency go away. Climate change remains the single greatest threat to humanity and the need for a radical transition away from fossil fuels is as urgent as ever.
Our team
GLAN’s dedicated team has worked closely with the six youth-applicants in helping them chart a path to the European Court of Human Rights. We have brought together the necessary legal and scientific expertise to put forward the strongest possible case. Our lawyers are from Garden Court Chambers, one of London's leading human rights barrister chambers who have vast expertise in human rights and climate change law.
The funding we need to raise and why we ask you to donate
Now that we have filed this case, we face the major task of responding to the arguments of 33 countries. We are seeking your support to help us meet this challenge. This will be enable us to engage in further legal research, evidence gathering and to cover translation costs.
Please join us and together we can achieve a ground-breaking legal victory.
* The 33 countries being sued are: The Member States of the EU (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) as well as Norway, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Ukraine.
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Global Legal Action Network
July 1, 2022
A Major Development!
The European Court of Human Rights has referred our case to the 17-judge Grand Chamber. Only a tiny fraction of cases – 0.03% – which the Court believes raise the most serious issues are sent to the Grand Chamber. And it now means that Cláudia, Catarina, Martim, Sofia, André and Mariana will see their case heard by 17 judges in Strasbourg, hopefully before the end of 2022. Never before have so many States had to defend them themselves before any international court or body. So this will be a hearing of unprecedented scale on an issue of unprecedented consequence.
As we stand on the cusp of securing a decision from Europe’s highest human rights court which compels European governments to take the radical action needed to halt the climate crisis, we ask for your continued support.
Global Legal Action Network
Oct. 28, 2021
We have a date from the Court!
In our last update we explained how we expected to receive all 33 government replies to our arguments during July. We eventually received them in late August and since then have been extremely busy digesting over well over 15,000 pages of legal arguments and evidence.
The Court has granted us until 12 January 2022 to submit our counter-responses. Our legal team have been carefully building this phase of our case and securing new evidence. With extra resources required for this intensive work we continue to seek your support.
Our team will also be attending COP26 . This will be a unique opportunity to build support for our case and to connect with other legal teams who seek urgent action on climate change.
Global Legal Action Network
June 10, 2021
Youth4ClimateJustice: Progress Update
In our last update, we indicated that, as well as refusing the defendant governments’ requests to reverse its decision to fast-track this case, the Court allowed them an extension to submit their defences to the 27th May. We are still to receive these defences as the Court has permitted the governments until the 5th July to translate their defences into the official languages of the Court (English or French). We have been using the extra time available to us to assemble the strongest possible evidence and to strengthen our legal team. We now have an extremely strong team of fifteen lawyers made up of nine barristers and six lawyers working exclusively on the case within GLAN.
In another important development, a number of high-profile organisations and individuals submitted very supportive “third party interventions” in this case. They include, the European Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights and the Environment and on Toxic Substances and Human Rights, Amnesty International, Greenpeace and Save the Children (among many others). These interventions are available on our website here: https://youth4climatejustice.org/the-case/
Please continue to support the youth-applicants in their major legal battle by supporting and sharing this crowdfund.
Thank you!
Global Legal Action Network
March 1, 2021
Court reject's government efforts to overturn 'urgent' status of case
In another significant step towards a ground-breaking legal victory, the European Court of Human Rights has rejected a coordinated effort by the defendant governments in this case to overturn the Court's decision to fast-track the case "on the basis of the urgency and importance of the issues raised".
Following the decision to fast-track the case, all 33 governments wrote to the Court arguing that the youth-applicants are not exposed to imminent danger and therefore that the case should not be treated as urgent. They also sought an opportunity to argue that the case should be declared inadmissible without their climate policies being subjected to scrutiny. But the Court refused both requests!
It did however grant the defendant States an extension to the 27th May to respond to the youth-applicants' case.
Please continue to support the youth-applicants in their major legal battle by supporting and sharing this crowdfund.
Thank you!
Global Legal Action Network
Feb. 2, 2021
GLAN team expands as government defences are due in weeks
We are now weeks away from receiving the defences of the 33 States which Sofia, André, Cláudia, Martim, Mariana and Catarina have taken their case against. They are due on the 26th February. Together with reports and other material they include with their defences, this material could come to thousands of pages in total. GLAN has prepared by hiring six outstanding researchers to support the major effort that will be involved in responding to all 33 States’ defences. We have also expanded our team of barristers.
The importance of this upcoming phase of the case cannot be overestimated. Please continue to support the youth-applicants in their major legal battle by supporting and sharing this crowdfund.
Thank you!
Global Legal Action Network
Nov. 29, 2020
Our case clears major hurdle as court recognises “importance and urgency"
On November 30th 2020, the European Court of Human Rights announced it is fast-tracking our climate case. The court also “communicated” the case to the 33 defendant countries which requires each one of them to respond to our complaint by the end of February 2021. Only a very small minority of cases filed with the Court get this far. This is a major development!
WHAT NOW?
Now the six youth-applicants and their legal team have to respond to the defenses of 33 states and their lawyers. We are working with climate experts to mobilise the evidence needed to do this. Please help the youth-applicants in this crucial stage of their case by supporting and sharing this crowdfund.
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