Auroramålet

Recently, dozen of Swedish persons, the project called Auroramålet, started planning a lawsuit against the Swedish Government and the climate policy for, what the swedes believe, is a violation of a Convention on the Rights of the Children. Jonas Ebbesson, the Professor of Climate Law at the University of Stockholm, stated that he does not consider it impossible that the state could be held accountable in court, and that the state could be forced to do more to protect its citizens from climate hazards.

Background
The organization Auroramålet (the Aurora Goal in English) is a group of Swedish children and young people, along with climate researchers, psychologists, lawyers, and university students concerned about the climate and its effect on children. They feel that Sweden is not doing enough to honor the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the European Convention of Human Rights, the Paris Agreement, or other state legislation. Although Sweden has set climate goals, the Auroramålet group says it's not enough: a study showed that Sweden must more than double its climate targets to have a reasonable chance of being able to live up to the Paris Agreement promises. The claimants are asking the government to set more aggressive climate goals, get rid of loopholes, and stop funding harmful industries. They plan to file suit in the European Court of Justice as well as the Swedish court system.

Relevant Law and Principles

 * European Convention on Human Rights
 * Convention on the Rights of the Child
 * Paris Agreement
 * Swedish Constitution

Status
The case has yet to be officially initiated. The organization plans to sue before the end of 2021.

Takeaways
The Auroramålet case joins many other cases of youth worried about the climate taking action against the government, such as the recent UK case, the  Urgenda case, and the  Youth for Climate Justice case. In fact, Sweden is one of the 33 countries being sued by Youth for Climate Justice for inaction on climate change. The precedent set by this case, along with its sister cases, will impact how young people are able to advocate for themselves and their future when it comes to climate change.

Links

 * Auroramålet Website
 * Auroramålet Facebook Page