FILE - View of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Sept. 27, 2023. Europes highest human rights court will rule Tuesday April 9, 2024 on a group of landmark climate change cases aimed at forcing countries to meet international obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A decision against any of the countries involved could force them to reduce net emissions to zero by 2030. The EU, which doesn't include Switzerland, currently has a target to be climate-neutral by 2050. Together with five more young people, Santos Oliveira took Portugal and 32 other nations to court, arguing the failure to stop emissions violated their fundamental rights.
The countries facing the legal challenges hope the cases will be dismissed. They say the blame for climate change cannot rest with any individual country.