the current19:18Canadian youth take climate change to court
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Lauren Wright wants the federal government to do more to curb climate change. And now she and 14 other young Canadians have been given permission to take Ottawa to court and demand accountability.
“for example, paris climate agreement As an example… [the pledges] Looks great on paper. Our government has signed and committed,” said Wright, a 19-year-old from Saskatchewan.
“But there’s a real lack of accountability there, and that’s what we’re trying to address,” she said. current Guest host Mark Kelly.
Fifteen climate change activists are suing the federal government, claiming it is failing to protect Canadians from climate change and that its failure violates young people’s Charter rights. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2019, at which time all of the plaintiffs were between the ages of 10 and 19.
The content of the lawsuit is fired in 2020 A federal judge ruled that the claim had no reasonable cause or likelihood of success. But on December 13th, A federal appeals court reversed that decision.paving the way for activists to resume their legal battle.
Mr Wright said the Court of Appeal’s decision was a “massive and overwhelming moment of relief” after three years of impasse. She said she filed the lawsuit because the group felt left out of the climate conversation and ignored by lawmakers because of its young age.
“No matter what we do as activists, we must ensure that our rights are recognized in a way that puts us on equal footing with those who make the laws and create the systems that harm us. I realized there wasn’t,” she said.
The Department of Environment and Climate Change said in a statement: the current He said he shares Canadians’ concerns and agrees that climate change is an urgent priority, but will not comment further at this time as the case is pending.
The federal Liberal government has invested billions of dollars. Initiatives against climate change and reduce its impact,including Carbon tax aimed at reducing emissions.But the country has a long history of failing to meet its emissions targets, a report last month suggested. Canada will not meet targets set for 2030.
Mr Wright believes many of the commitments made by the government are not ambitious enough and more urgent measures need to be developed “using the latest available science”. She also wants the government to be legally accountable, so any commitments “must adhere to the letter of the law.”
Canada has suffered devastating fires, floods and extreme weather events in recent years, which scientists say are caused by climate change. Wright said these events show that she and her co-plaintiffs are already living with the effects of climate change and that it is not a problem in the distant future.
“Climate change is a nonpartisan issue. It doesn’t matter who you are. Everyone will be affected,” she said.
“Unfortunately, those with less political and economic power will be more affected.”
Young people want action, not money.
Chris Tollefson, co-counsel for the plaintiffs and president of the Tollefson Law Firm, said the lawsuit seeks to assert two “novel and significant claims.”
“First, there is a right to a stable climate system that can support human life. And second, governments have a positive obligation to ensure that this right is protected.” he said.
He said their goal is to support those claims with scientific evidence that “as we have argued, their Charter rights will be at risk and violated.”
In what could be a landmark case, a Montana state court has ruled in favor of 16 young people who sued the state alleging that fossil fuel use violates their right to a clean and healthy environment. .
Although this is the first of its kind in Canada, similar youth-led actions are occurring in other countries. In August, Montana judge sided with young activist It argued that the constitutional right to a healthy environment was being violated by state institutions that allowed fossil fuel development without considering its climate impacts.
Mr. Tollefson also pointed to legal cases led by young people. GermanyFrance and Ireland.
“In some cases, it has led to legal changes, it has led to public dialogue, and that is what we hope will happen in this case,” he said.
He said the plaintiffs are not seeking money as part of the settlement.
“The real goal here is to compel, compel or persuade governments to take action on climate change, and the courts are part of that dialogue process.” said.
Wright said she and her fellow activists remain committed to fighting climate change, no matter the outcome.
“It doesn’t end with lawsuits. We are still fighting in our daily lives and will continue to fight,” he said.
