Austria's highest court has dismissed a legal challenge from a group of young people seeking stronger government action on climate change. The twelve minors, ranging in age from 8 to 17, argued that Austria's current climate law doesn't adequately protect their constitutional rights from the impacts of global warming.
The Constitutional Court rejected the case on procedural grounds, stating that the lawsuit targeted specific sections of the law and removing those parts would undermine the legislation's original intent. The court also determined that amending the law as the plaintiffs requested wouldn't effectively address the core issue of climate change.
Image: Austrian Flag. This image relates to the article's focus on an Austrian court decision.
This decision contrasts with a similar case in Germany, where a lawsuit led the government to establish more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. In Austria, the climate minister, a member of the Green Party, aims to revise the existing climate law and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
