"The young people are absolutely right when they sue the state"
On November 25, the youth organization Aurora filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state for lack of climate policy. Sweden does not take the necessary measures to protect the rights of children and young people according to the European Convention on Human Rights.
1,620 researchers and teachers have now signed an appeal: The climate measures we take in the near future will determine their future. Sweden must take responsibility and do its fair share of the global climate work. In violation of the Paris Agreement, emissions of greenhouse gases are increasing at a rate which means that the 1.5-degree target may be exceeded in a few years.
As extreme weather increases so does stress and the risk of mental illness. Already today, more than half of young people between the ages of 12 and 18 in Sweden are quite or very worried about the climate and environment. This is understandable when our decision makers do not do what is required.
The conclusion is clear. Sweden does not take the necessary measures to protect the rights of children and young people according to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights. This entails serious risks to the life and health of young generations, people in other countries and particularly vulnerable groups. This cannot continue.
Therefore, we support Aurora's demand that Sweden begins to do its fair share and immediately initiates extensive and far-reaching climate work that rests on a scientific basis and puts justice at the center, writes the researchers in their appeal in the newspaper Aftonbladet.
