Swedish Supreme Court Blocks Greta Thunberg's Climate Lawsuit, Urges Focus on Individual Rights

February 19, 2025
Swedish Supreme Court Blocks Greta Thunberg's Climate Lawsuit, Urges Focus on Individual Rights
  • The court indicated that a differently structured lawsuit might be viable if it focuses on whether individual rights under the European Convention had been violated.

  • Ultimately, the Supreme Court emphasized that decisions about climate policy are the responsibility of political bodies, not the judiciary.

  • The court highlighted that individuals can seek judicial review only if state failures directly affect their rights, underscoring the high requirements for admissibility in public interest lawsuits.

  • While the current lawsuit was rejected, the Supreme Court suggested that a reformulated climate lawsuit could still be considered in the future.

  • The lawsuit, filed by the Aurora group in November 2022, claimed the Swedish government violated the European Convention on Human Rights by not adequately addressing climate change, demanding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

  • On February 19, 2025, Sweden's Supreme Court ruled that Greta Thunberg and hundreds of activists cannot pursue a lawsuit aimed at compelling the state to take stronger climate action.

  • The judges noted that individual lawsuits aimed at protecting public interests, such as climate change, face very high standards for admissibility in court.

  • This ruling underscores the challenges faced by climate activists in seeking legal remedies for government inaction on climate change.

  • In light of the ruling, the Aurora group plans to explore alternative legal options to continue advocating for accountability from the Swedish government regarding its climate policies.

  • The ruling also reflects a broader trend in Europe, where countries have seen a rise in lawsuits demanding government action on climate change, with notable precedents set in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

  • Specifically, the lawsuit sought to compel Sweden to implement measures to reduce emissions to levels deemed 'technically and economically feasible' and to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

  • The Supreme Court emphasized that future cases would need to demonstrate violations of individual rights rather than mandating specific actions from the state.

Summary based on 16 sources


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