Thursday October 14, 2021
15 million tons of CO2 too much
France condemned again for climate targets
In February, a court found France guilty after a climate suit – the country did not achieve the climate targets it had set itself. Now the second judgment follows: with a clear requirement.
According to a judgment, France has to pay for the damage caused by failed climate targets. By the end of the year, the state has to offset around 15 million tons of CO2, as a court in Paris decided. The choice of means is left to the government, says the verdict. It is the second verdict on a climate action brought in in 2019 by four organizations, including Greenpeace and Oxfam.
“This decision marks the beginning of a new era: No president will be able to do without working for the climate,” said the organizations that had filed the lawsuit under the title “Affair of the Century”. In February, a court found France guilty of not having achieved the climate targets it had set itself. The plaintiffs then demanded that the damage be repaired. At a hearing in September, the government representative emphasized that the new climate law had now put France on the right track. France has committed to reducing its greenhouse emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.