Should inaction be a crime? Six young people from Portugal are challenging European countries. They say they have not done enough to stop climate change.
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Six young people sue 32 nations over climate
Should inaction be a crime? Six young people from Portugal are challenging European countries. They say they have not done enough to stop climate change.
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What's happening?
On 17 June 2017, wildfires ripped across PortugalA southern European country next to Spain. It has a population of 10 million. . Sixty-six people died. That October it happened again.
Claudia Duarte Agostinho was there: "What I felt was fear." Her brother Martim's allergies have become worse, while their 11-year-old sister Mariana now has asthmaA common lung condition that can cause breathing difficulties..
Now, with three others, the siblings have chosen to sueStart a legal fight against someone or something. 32 European countries. They accuseSay you think someone has done something wrong. them of going against their human rightsThe basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. Some have called for animals and even natural phenomena like rivers to have some form of human rights. by failing to fight climate changeLong-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.. If they win, they could force countries to take action to stop climate change.
Some experts think that one day, failing to stop climate change will be a crimeSex between men was first made illegal in England by Henry VIII in 1533. It was decriminalised in 1967..
Find out more
But others argue that finding people guilty of failing to stop climate change is near impossible. It is very hard to decide who to blameResponsible for a bad thing happening. . For example: only the bosses of fossil fuelFossil fuels, including coal, crude oil and natural gas, are made from decomposing plants and other organisms. The non-renewable fuels are burned for energy, emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. companies, or anyone who uses the fossil fuels to heat their homes?
Should inaction be a crime?
Yes! Anyone with the power to do something to stop climate change must do so. We will all suffer if they do not. It should be a crime to sit back and do nothing when the planet is in danger.
No! We cannot find everyone who has not stopped climate change guilty of a crime. We need to think about the future and what we can all do to help the Earth.
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Keywords
Portugal - A southern European country next to Spain. It has a population of 10 million.
Asthma - A common lung condition that can cause breathing difficulties.
Sue - Start a legal fight against someone or something.
Accuse - Say you think someone has done something wrong.
Human rights - The basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. Some have called for animals and even natural phenomena like rivers to have some form of human rights.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Crime - Sex between men was first made illegal in England by Henry VIII in 1533. It was decriminalised in 1967.
Blame - Responsible for a bad thing happening.
Fossil fuel - Fossil fuels, including coal, crude oil and natural gas, are made from decomposing plants and other organisms. The non-renewable fuels are burned for energy, emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Six young people sue 32 nations over climate
Activists: The six Portuguese youths who have filed a case in the European Court of Human Rights. Glossary
Portugal - A southern European country next to Spain. It has a population of 10 million.
Asthma - A common lung condition that can cause breathing difficulties.
Sue - Start a legal fight against someone or something.
Accuse - Say you think someone has done something wrong.
Human rights - The basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. Some have called for animals and even natural phenomena like rivers to have some form of human rights.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Crime - Sex between men was first made illegal in England by Henry VIII in 1533. It was decriminalised in 1967.
Blame - Responsible for a bad thing happening.
Fossil fuel - Fossil fuels, including coal, crude oil and natural gas, are made from decomposing plants and other organisms. The non-renewable fuels are burned for energy, emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.