Families sue EU over climate change
Last week, ten families filed a legal action in European court against the European Union, arguing that the government is violating their fundamental rights by failing to act on climate change.
The families — who hail from Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Kenya, and Fiji — all claim to have suffered financial or personal losses from climate change. One family from Portugal lost a significant portion of their family lands in an October 2017 forest fire, which was made worse by unusually hot and dry conditions. Another family, in France, is no longer able to sustain their lavender businesses — which has been in the family for three generations — due to the impacts of climate change.
