Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), a network of environmentalist citizens, announced Monday that the network has launched a legal challenge against the Irish Government’s failure to take the required action to avert dangerous climate change.
FIE has filed a lawsuit against the Government of Ireland and Ireland’s Attorney General.
'The case is the first of its kind in the country,” FIE underlined.
The group also stated that the legal challenge claims that the Irish National Mitigation Plan - one of the main plans in the government’s climate change policy - does not do enough to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and is a violation of Ireland’s Climate Act, the Irish Constitution and human rights obligations.
FIE on Tuesday obtained permission from the High Court to proceed with its lawsuit. The government has three weeks to file its reply, although this may take much longer, and the case should then be heard in 2018.
They also claim that the plan falls far short of the steps required by the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Previously, in global climate change litigation, 900 Dutch citizens filed a case against the Dutch government and currently 21 young children are taking on the U.S. government for global warming.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr