Climate change lawsuit: from theory to action

From 17 cities around Colombia, these boys, girls, and young adults between the ages of 7 and 26 were the impetus for the First Lawsuit on Climate Change and the Future Generations of Latin America.

The lawyer for the 25 children and youth who won the lawsuit on deforestation and climate change in the Amazon narrates the case and analyzes the subsequent steps to implement the historic ruling of the Supreme Court.

The government and the 25 children and young people who filed a lawsuit to stop deforestation in the Amazon and tackle climate change must now create a plan to achieve this goal. Everyone can join the effort to protect this ecosystem.

Part of the solution lies in achieving greater effective control in the territory and economic incentives aligned with conservation. There is not a reason or actor that is single-handedly responsible for what is happening. And although neither the burning nor deforestation are totally new, today they are out of control.

Recognizing that the Amazon has rights means that all citizens, regardless of whether you are from the region, can demand its protection—even before the courts.

The Supreme Court of Justice ordered the protection of the Colombian Amazon from deforestation, ruling in favor of a group of 25 children and youth, who with the support of Dejusticia, sued the Colombian government for failing to protect their rights to life and a healthy environment.

With the “science of attribution,” the Supreme Court of Justice has in its hands the strongest scientific basis by which to decide the lawsuit brought by 25 young people in the coming days. Con la “ciencia de la atribución” la Corte Suprema de Justicia tendrá en sus manos las bases científicas más sólidas para decidir la tutela de los 25 jóvenes en los próximos días.

Scientist Dr. James E. Hansen, a global expert on climate change, submitted an amicus brief supporting the climate change case Dejusticia filed alongside 25 children and young people who are suing the Colombian government for failing to stop deforestation in the Amazon region.

The delegate for environmental issues supports the legal action by 25 young people and claims that the Government does not have a clear policy to stop deforestation, the main cause behind the warming of the country's average temperatures.