BERLIN (HPD) — A dozen minors have filed a lawsuit in Austria’s highest court to try to force the government to guarantee their constitutional rights with stronger measures against climate change.
A lawyer for the group said the case brought before the Constitutional Court builds on a similar lawsuit in Germany that led the German government to set new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions two years ago.
His lawyer, Michaela Kroemer, said Austria’s 2011 climate law does not sufficiently protect his plaintiffs, who are between the ages of five and 16, from life-threatening consequences of climate change. Specifically, she said the Alpine country’s climate law violates the right of minors to “generational justice” enshrined in the Austrian constitution.
The lawsuit is supported by youth climate change group Fridays for Future, inspired by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and financially supported by donations, Kroemer said.