Lhe climate crisis will inevitably mark the future, especially of the younger generations. It is precisely them, Millennials and Gen Z (those today aged between 44 and 14, more or less), who take the field to denounce the impact of climate change and environmental damage on the economy and humanity and demand climate justice. Countless, in every corner of the world, organizations made up of activists who, through various forms of peaceful protest, they claim the right to live in a healthy environmenturging companies and institutions that have contributed to causing the environmental crisis to take responsibility.
They ask for climate justice and resort to legal strategies to decree and correct government inertia in combating climate change and protecting human rights.
Climate justice in the world
What inspired the action of many other young people in France, Germany, Ireland and America was the success achieved in this field by the Dutch activists of the environmentalist organization Urgenda Foundation which, in 2019, they won the first case against their own state for inaction on climate change.
And it is the story of a few weeks ago, on September 27th, the start of the action six Portuguese activists, aged between 11 and 24, who brought 33 states before the Strasbourg Court – among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases – accusing them of not doing enough to combat the climate crisis, violating their fundamental rights.
Universal Judgment: in Italy even minors sue
Italy was not left behind: 203 appellants including 24 associations, 17 minors – represented in court by their parents – and 162 adults, in fact, have undertaken the first climate lawsuit against the Italian state.
«For years we have been working on social conflicts generated by environmental problems, we carefully follow the relevance of these legal actions carried out in other countries. As, strongly believing in the tool of strategic climate litigation, we have created a national network with citizens, associations and committees active in environmental protection to denounce the inadequacy of existing climate measures in Italy” explains the coordinator Lucie Greylillustrating the origin of Last Judgment, campaign promoted by the association South from 2019 and became a legal action in 2021, at the Civil Court of Rome.
The lack of a law
The anthropologist, who has worked at the independent ecological organization for fifteen years, is keen to clarify the lack of a framework law on environmental protection in our country: «In France, Holland and Germany, it was easier to evaluate whether the state was respecting its reduction commitments, referring to national targets and laws set by the government. We, however, we had to call the scientific community for help.”
It was, in fact, the research institution Climate Analytics to evaluate the inadequacy of the policies and measures implemented by Italy with respect toParis Agreement, which plans to contain the increase in global temperatures below 1.5 degrees.
The failure of the State to combat the climate emergency
«The contradiction between the emissions containment measures that the State has undertaken to adopt and the inadequate initiatives concretely activated so far is evident. We are not asking the judge for compensation, but rather to declare the Italian State responsible for failure to comply with the climate emergency and condemn it to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, in compliance with the Paris Agreement” explains the lawyer Luca Saltalamacchia who, together with the network of jurists Legality for the climateassists the appellants of the the case reached its third first instance hearing on 13 September, with a ruling expected between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024.
The awareness campaign on climate justice
To encourage greater awareness and stimulate public debate, lThe legal action is accompanied by a awareness campaign. «We have launched a signature collection to allow all citizens to feel an active part of this common battle» declares Greyl, agreeing with Saltalamacchia in reiterating the importance of a plurality of voices for «tear apart the veil of immunity behind which companies and institutions have hidden until now, activating consciences”.
Young people fear for their future due to climate change (Getty Images)
Climate justice, a battle between David and Goliath
Among the organizations involved there is also Fridays for Future Italy who, last October 6, organized a mobilization in Italian squares.
«The spontaneous response to the government’s denialism is collective resistance» underlines the twenty-year-old Esther Barel, spokesperson of the movement. «We have built a wrong narrative according to which the climate crisis puts the planet at risk. Instead yesWe are all in danger, especially us young people who have no responsibility and will pay the consequences more heavily. Even more so those who already live in situations of economic-social disadvantage.”
«This legal case – explains Greyl – does not only have a symbolic value, it aims to influence a radical change in the state’s climate policies. It is an important opportunity to direct the public debate on responsibilities in the climate field, which have so far been little discussed despite the extreme events that are hitting our country.”
The right to a sustainable environment
It is a stubborn battle, compared by some jurists to that of David against Goliath, but with solid scientific and legal foundations. «The imbalance of power is objective, but I strongly believe in the political value of this dispute which does not aim to obtain an immediate economic advantage, but rather a benefit for the entire community. On a formal level, at the moment there is no adequate legislation, therefore even we lawyers are forced to fight with different legal instruments” comments the lawyer Andrea Farì of study Environmentalex specialized in environmental law, which, although not part of the Universal Judgment, shares the a cause which, between squares and courtrooms, will hopefully contribute to the recognition of the right to a sustainable environment and a dignified future for all.
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