Austrian children sue government for failing to protect them from climate crisis

Children as young as five are asking government to ensure their constitutional rights by taking stronger climate action

A dozen children have filed a lawsuit against the Austrian government asking it to take tougher action against climate change as a protection of their constitutional rights, the latest such litigation amid a growing tide of lawsuits against governments and companies worldwide.

The children, as young as five years old, filed the lawsuit in Austria‘s top court on Tuesday seeking to force the government to take stronger climate action.

A lawyer for the group said the case submitted to the Constitutional Court is modelled on a similar lawsuit in Germany that prompted the government there to set new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions two years ago.