European governments have a legal duty to act urgently on the climate crisis
After witnessing devastating forest fires and experiencing ever-worsening heatwaves, six Portuguese young people decided to act. On 3rd September 2020, they launched an unprecedented case against over 30 European countries in the European Court of Human Rights.
Finally, following the hottest ever summer in Europe on record, their case has been heard on 27th September 2023. The hearing of their case, which took place before 22 judges, was unprecedented in scale.
The case of the ‘youth-Applicants’ is simple: time is rapidly running out to safeguard their futures. European governments have a legal duty to take far more radical and urgent action to slash greenhouse gas emissions.