Sweden's climate obligations to be tried in court

Sufficient climate action is a legal duty. The state has now agreed with Aurora that the question of whether Sweden is fuelling the climate crisis to such an extent that it violates young people’s human rights can be tried in court. For the first time ever, a Swedish district court will assess the state's climate responsibility. Since we sued the state the first time, the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Swedish Supreme Court have confirmed that states are obliged to protect human rights from the consequences of the climate crisis. Our chances of winning are greater than ever. But we can only hold the state accountable if we work together! Help us demand a safe and just world.

Aurora is a youth-led environmental association that uses law as a tool for transformations towards Earth system justice.

In the midst of a burning planetary emergency, the best available science is clear that systemic change at an unprecedented scale is needed to avoid planetary collapses.

It is still possible to build a safe and just world for the people, communities, animals, plants, and ecosystems that inhabit this planet. But it's only possible if rich, high-emitting countries like Sweden do their legal duty and transform their societies before 2030.

But the Swedish state is doing the opposite. They are nowhere near acting in line with their fair share of the global climate measures needed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. They are not protecting nearly as many vital ecosystems as needed. Their climate policy also ignores large parts of the emissions Sweden causes.

The government's continued fuelling of the climate crisis jeopardizes the human rights of children and young people to life, health, well-being, and quality of life.

Aurora will not stand by and watch as the Swedish state throws vulnerable individuals and communities under the bus through its unfairly high emissions. We will not accept their burning of our future.

We will defend our human rights in court. The world's most influential courts in this area have already confirmed that states have a legal obligation to protect human rights from the effects of the climate crisis by taking sufficient climate action. It is time for states like Sweden to be held accountable.

Litigation is unfortunately very expensive. We therefore need all the financial support we can get to be able to win this. Feel free to donate to our crowdfunder, and spread the word. Together we make the change we want to see!