Case Update: The European Court of Human Rights’ Climate Judgments

On 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights decided its first ever climate cases: Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, Carême v. France, and Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others. In these landmark cases plaintiffs sued 33 European governments, including the entire European Union, for their failure to adequately curb Greenhouse Gas emissions. The Court held in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen v. Switzerland that government inaction can violate human rights, while it rejected the latter two cases as inadmissible. These rulings will shape Europe’s response to climate change and are expected to inspire future climate litigation across the globe.
Please join us for a panel discussion, featuring Aminta Ossom, Angela Hefti, and Tyler Giannini to explore what these cases mean for climate mitigation in Europe and beyond. The panel will be moderated by Jessie Hsia LLM ‘24.

Lunch will be served.