To accelerate climate action, citizens are suing governments

Case dismissed?

All this rests on the notion that humans can somehow tune the climate to their liking – whatever that may be – which of course has never been shown to be true. Are court cases and ‘rule books’ just the latest attempts to impose the will of one group in society, over everyone else? As this report says: ‘But such court battles are long, and often fail’. And ‘long’ often means expensive.

After climate talks in Bonn, many criticize outcomes as weak. Increasingly, concerned citizens see legal action as a path for climate action — a thousand climate lawsuits are currently active around the world, reports DW.com.

As climate negotiators return home after a two-week “intersessional” climate change conference in Bonn, Germany, their homework is only half finished. The COP24 annual climate conference, scheduled for December in Katowice, Poland, is supposed to decide a “rule book” for implementing the Paris Agreement.

But with so much at stake, there’s not nearly enough action, environmental activists say.

There is a lack of political consensus around implementation, and little clarity. Industrial countries lack the political will for climate action; funds are missing for developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change; and fossil fuel lobbyists still hold a main seat in the negotiations.

On the bright side, Patricia Espinosa — executive secretary of the United Nations climate change framework — celebrated the success of the Talanoa Dialogue, a tool for inclusivity that has been pushed to the forefront of climate talks.

“Enthusiasm about raising ambition, and working together and uniting efforts … has transpired from this very first phase of the Talanoa dialogue,” she said.

Yet concerns loom over implementation of the rule book.

Against this background of bickering, closed-door lobbying and nobody wanting to pick up the tab, climate advocates are turning to suing governments as a solution for change. About a thousand lawsuits are active around the world; whether they will see success is another question.

Continued here.