France found guilty of climate inaction in ‘historic victory’ 

‘Hoist by their own petard’ springs to mind. French courts are now willing to hear from ‘direct victims of climate change’. How they might define climate change remains to be seen, as the insanity gets further embedded into the system.
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A court in Paris has ruled that France’s government is guilty of climate inaction in a ground-breaking legal case, reports Euronews.

The decision comes after a group of NGOs, with the support of two million citizens, filed a lawsuit against the French government for failing to meet the country’s commitments to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The legal claim was hailed as the “L’Affaire du siècle” or “the case of the century” by activists, who first started the dispute in March 2019.

Today, the court ruled that France has not done enough to meet its mandated goals to reduce greenhouse gases.

“Justice has just recognised that the state’s climate inaction is illegal,” said the campaigners behind the lawsuit. “This is a historic victory for the climate!”

France’s commitment to curb global warming comes from the Paris Agreement, which was signed at COP21 in 2015. This international accord holds countries responsible for limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees more than pre-industrial levels.

Experts and activists like Greta Thunberg say that countries are not doing enough to meet this target. Today’s decision is part of a growing movement which is using legal challenges to hold governments to account for this failure.

The case also makes it possible for direct victims of climate change in France to seek compensation from the French government. This puts increased pressure on lawmakers to focus on limiting global warming and mitigating environmental damage.

Full report here.