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The Climate Docket at the European Court of Human Rights

In yet another manifestation of the “turn to rights” in climate litigation, a dozen cases seeking to
spell out Member States’ obligations with regard to climate change mitigation and adaptation
under the European Convention on Human Rights have been brought before the European
Court of Human Rights in recent years. These cases raise complex novel issues of human
rights law. They are likely to make an indelible mark on the international legal landscape,
notwithstanding their impact on ongoing domestic climate litigation efforts and, overall, on
climate policies across Europe and beyond. To shed light on these developments, the Sabin
Center’s Peer Review Network on Global Climate Litigation is hosting a half-day Conference on
March 23, 2023. The Conference will include a general overview of the “Climate Docket” of the
European Court of Human Rights as well as a detailed discussion of the three cases to be
heard by the Court at the end of March 2023 (Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32
Other States, Carême v. France, and KlimaSeniorinnen v Switzerland). Furthermore, we will
debate the variety of legal issues they involve, including the complainants’ victim status under
the Convention, the attribution of responsibility, the legal standing of NGOs, the justiciability of
“climate harm,” and extraterritoriality. We will hear from a wide range of perspectives thanks to
the participation of leading academics, practitioners, activists, and members of the international
judiciary.

Mar 23, 2023 09:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)