|
Thunberg, and 600 other young activists in a group called Aurora,
sued the Swedish state in November, claiming it had to do more to
limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to live up to
the European Convention on Human Rights.
On Tuesday, Nacka District Court said the lawsuit could go ahead
after the group made adjustments to the claim.
"The district court has today issued a summons in a high-profile
class action lawsuit," the court said in a statement. "In the case,
demands have been made for the district court to determine that the
state has an obligation to take certain specified measures to limit
climate change."
The Swedish state has three months to respond to the lawsuit before
the case could be heard or settled in writing, the district court
said, adding it could not say when the suit might be decided.
The Chancellor of Justice did not immediately respond to an emailed
request for comment.
Aurora wants the court to decide that Sweden needs to cut emissions
by at least 6.5-9.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year, starting from
2019.
"The health and future of the planet, and that of ours, is directly
dependent on whether or not our politicians recognize the
seriousness of the climate crisis, and so Aurora wants to do
everything we can to get you to do so," the group said in an open
letter to the Swedish government last year.
On Monday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the
"climate time bomb is ticking" as he urged rich nations to slash
emissions sooner after a new assessment from scientists said there
was little time to lose in tackling climate change.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Mark Potter)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
