The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) held, on Wednesday 27 September, a hearing in the case of ‘Duarte Agostinho and others v. Portugal and 32 others’, which pits six young Portuguese against the 27 Member States, as well as the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Russia and Turkey. Although Ukraine was initially involved, the charges against it were dropped after the Russian invasion.
The case, which was filed in September 2020, concerns greenhouse gas emissions produced by the States which, according to the claimants, contribute to the phenomenon of global warming, leading in particular to heat waves that affect the claimants’ living conditions and health. The young people, aged between 11 and 24, argue that the forest fires that Portugal has seen every year since 2017 are the direct result of global warming.
The singularity of this case, the first of its kind, prompted the ECHR to accelerate it, citing its “ importance and urgency”. Exceptionally, it was referred to the Grand Chamber, which is reserved for the most critical cases.
And while climate court cases are multiplying, the decision of the ECHR, expected in the coming months, is decisive: its rulings will have an impact on the 46 member states of the Council of Europe and will set a major precedent. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)