France Found Guilty of Violating Paris Climate Agreement
The Administrative Tribunal in Paris ruled this week that France failed to live up to its promise of reducing greenhouse gases under commitments made in the 2015 Paris Agreement, declaring that France was “responsible for ecological damage.”
Several environmental groups were responsible for the case heading to court in the first place. Oxfam France, Greenpeace France, “It’s Everyone’s Business”, a French-based environmental group, and “The Foundation for Nature and Mandking”, another French-based environmental group, filed the case in 2018. The suit accused the French government of falling short of its obligations to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in line with its commitments under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and related French laws.
“This is an historic win for climate justice. The decision not only takes into consideration what scientists say and what people want from French public policies, but it should also inspire people all over the world to hold their governments accountable for climate change in their courts,” said Jean-François Julliard, the executive director of Greenpeace France, one of the plaintiffs.