Sweden’s Supreme Court threw out a class action lawsuit Wednesday brought against the state by 300 young people, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, accusing it of climate inaction.
The first of its kind in the Scandinavian country, the case demanded that Sweden take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to within the limits of what is “technically and economically feasible”.
“The Supreme Court has now concluded that the case cannot be taken up for review,” it said in a statement.
“This is because a court cannot decide that the Riksdag (parliament) or the government has to take any particular action.”
“The political bodies decide independently which specific climate measures Sweden should take,” it added.
However, the Supreme Court said it did not rule out that a climate case could be tried by the courts if it were “designed differently” — highlighting that it was filed by a group of individuals rather than an association.
“The European Court of Justice has recently ruled in a judgment that an association that meets certain requirements may have the right to bring a climate lawsuit.”
While a group named Aurora is behind the…