Sweden’s Supreme Court Dismisses Thunberg’s Climate Action Lawsuit: What It Means for Our Planet

On February 10, 2024, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, joined a demonstration in Saix, France, protesting the A69 motorway project between Toulouse and Castres.

In recent news, Sweden’s Supreme Court made a significant ruling on a climate change lawsuit. Thunberg and over 300 activists, known as the Aurora group, wanted to hold the state accountable for not taking adequate steps to address climate change. They argued that the government’s actions breached rights outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights.

The activists filed their class action lawsuit in 2022. However, after the state requested that the case be dismissed, the district court sought clarification from the Supreme Court in 2023 about whether the lawsuit could proceed.

The Supreme Court decided that it could not mandate specific actions by the government or parliament regarding climate measures. They stated that such decisions belong to political bodies, not the courts. However, the court left the door open for a differently framed lawsuit to be considered in the future. They acknowledged that if an individual’s rights under the convention were violated, a claim could still be heard.

The plaintiffs aimed to compel Sweden to take stronger actions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This case highlights a growing trend in Europe, where courts are increasingly scrutinizing government responses to climate change. For instance, the European Court of Human Rights recently found that the Swiss government had not done enough to protect its citizens from climate impacts.

While the court has rejected some climate cases, including one from young Portuguese activists against 32 European countries, it emphasized the need for plaintiffs to first seek resolutions within their own nations.

This ongoing legal battle reflects the urgency of climate action, as many believe that governments must do more to mitigate the effects of climate change for future generations.

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