Summary

Climate challenges are increasingly visible in our everyday life as well as in the world of law. Scientific predictions about what lies ahead for us in case of different future scenarios are reasonably alarming. Citizens and environmental NGOs have therefore rightly become active and are calling on states to act. Given this situation, several European higher courts have had to deal with climate lawsuits in recent years. Such complains are typically based on the same international agreements: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The latter comes into play because climate change has already been accompanied by or may lead to significant infringements of fundamental rights in the future. In addition, European courts must also apply the climate law of the European Union and proceed from the climate targets agreed within the Union.

The article provides an overview of the more significant judgments made in climate lawsuits in the European higher courts.