Six Portuguese youths are taking 32 nations to the European Court of Human Rights this month for not doing enough to stop global warming

Six young Portuguese people brought a case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Wednesday, alleging that 32 nations have failed to act on global warming.

The hearing on Wednesday will aim to hold governments across Europe responsible for not doing enough to protect people from the negative impacts of the climate crisis.

Lawyers representing the youngsters, some as young as 11, say the continued burning of fossil fuels – responsible for the majority of the pollution that’s heating up the planet – violates their fundamental rights.

According to report, The case was filed in September 2020 against 27 EU member states that include the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Russia and Turkey. It is the largest-ever climate case to be heard by the ECHR in Strasbourg.

The complaint to the Strasbourg-based court was sparked by wildfires that hit Portugal in 2017, killing more than 100 people and destroying swaths of land.

Some of the plaintiffs say they have suffered allergies and breathing problems since the firesand that the conditions are likely to persist if nothing is done.

"European governments are not managing to protect us," said 15-year-old Andre Oliveira, one of the six who brought the suit. 

"We're on the front lines of climate change in Europe: even in February it's sometimes 30 degrees [Celsius or 86 Fahrenheit]. The heatwaves are getting more and more serious," he added.

The plaintiffs said all 27 European Union member states along with Russia, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway and Britain  have failed to sufficiently limit greenhouse gas emissions, damaging their lives and health.

They argue that the failure to act infringes on their rights to life and respect for private life under Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Gerry Liston, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, has admitted that "taking on the legal teams of over 30 very well-resourced countries" would not be easy.

Portugal's legal team has told the court that it is dedicated to fighting climate change, and also that the applicants have not provided direct evidence of the direct impact on them.

The UK argued that the plaintiffs should have gone through national courts first and that since they are not nationals of the countries they are attacking, other than Portugal, the European Court of Human Rights should not yet have jurisdiction.