French government held liable for inaction on climate crisis in landmark case

The NGOs cheered the decision as “historic” for their country and a boon to those elsewhere using the law to push their governments in the fight against global warming.

A court on Wednesday ruled that the French state failed to take sufficient action to fight the climate crisis in a case brought by four non-government organisations.

The Paris administrative court recognised ecological “deficiencies” linked to the climate crisis and held the French state responsible for failing to fully meet its goals in reducing greenhouse gases. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The NGOs cheered the decision as “historic” for their country and a boon to those elsewhere using the law to push their governments in the fight against global warming. The four organisations are Greenpeace France, Oxfam France, the Nicolas Hulot Foundation and Notre Affaire a Tous (Our Shared Responsibility).

In its ruling, the Paris administrative court recognised ecological “deficiencies” linked to the climate crisis and held the French state responsible for failing to fully meet its goals in reducing greenhouse gases.

The government said in a statement that it “took note” of the decision, and provided a list of actions in the pipeline to “allow France to respect in the future the objectives it set”.

“The government remains fully engaged to take up the climate challenge and leave no one on the side of the road in this indispensable transition,” added the statement, which was signed by Barbara Pompili, the minister for ecological transition.