A Swedish court on Tuesday ruled that hundreds of youth climate activists including Greta Thunberg can collectively sue Sweden for the government’s “insufficient climate policy.”
More than 600 people under age 26, including 20-year-old Thunberg, signed the 87-page document that is the basis for the lawsuit, which was filed in Stockholm in November and coincided with a march through the city.
The Nacka District Court determined Tuesday that the case can proceed and gave the Swedish government three months to respond.
“The district court has today issued a summons in a high-profile class-action lawsuit,” the court said.
“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 court’s decision came a day after the release of a highly anticipated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called “a survival guide for humanity”.
The report says the 1.5°C goal for this century is still achievable but requires “a quantum leap in climate action.”
