Climate Justice: When citizens bring cases before the European Court of Human Rights

In the face of the challenges posed by climate change, Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human Rights, will explain how the Court is now being called upon to rule on unprecedented issues relating to the responsibility of states and the protection of present and future generations. On this occasion, he will review three major judgments delivered by the Court in 2024 and their implications for the future of climate litigation in Europe (*).

This lecture‑debate will also provide an opportunity for discussion with two academics whose work sheds light on the human, social, and environmental dimensions of climate change: Dimitri Heintz, an environmental health specialist at CNRS – University of Strasbourg, and Hugo Canihac, lecturer and researcher in political science at the University of Strasbourg.

This event will offer an accessible, multidisciplinary perspective on how law, science, and civil society are mobilising to address contemporary climate challenges.

(*) In the cases of 9 April 2024 — Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others, Carême v. France, and Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland — the Court addressed, for the first time, the issue of “climate justice,” meaning the legal treatment of climate change through the law and recourse to the judiciary. These cases, which gave the Court’s Grand Chamber the opportunity to develop its case law on climate change, have several exceptional features. These relate to the subject matter of the disputes, the very nature of the applications and the litigation strategies adopted by the various applicants, as well as the way in which the Court decided to deal with them.

Advance registration required - contact: [email protected]