Sweden faces new lawsuit over climate policies

Hundreds of activists, including Greta Thunberg, marched through the Swedish capital Friday to a court to file a lawsuit against the Swedish state for insufficient climate action.

More than 600 young people under the age of 26 signed the 87-sided document that is the basis for the lawsuit that was filed in the Stockholm District Court.

They want the court to determine whether the country has violated its citizen's human rights with its policies on climate.

Sweden has never treated the climate crisis like a crisis, according to Anton Foley, spokesman for the youth-led initiative Aurora. Sweden is breaking the law, and failing in its responsibility. Scientists warn that future warming is slipping away from pre-industrial times to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

At a recent U.N. climate conference in Egypt earlier this month, leaders tried to keep that goal alive, but did not ratchet up calls for reducing carbon emissions.

Another activist, Ida Edling, said Sweden is pursuing a climate policy and that the research is very clear that it will contribute to a climate disaster in the future. Sweden's parliament has decided in 2017 that by 2045 the Scandinavian country will have zero net emissions of greenhouse gases and 100% renewable energy.

Swedish TV 4 said the government wouldn't comment on ongoing legal action.

Climate campaigners have started a number of lawsuits against governments and companies in recent years, with mixed success.

In one of the most high-profile cases, Germany's top court ruled last year that the government had to adjust its climate targets to avoid burdening the young.

The German government put in place more ambitious near- and medium term steps to achieve its goal of net zero emissions by five years to 2045 and brought forward its target for net zero emissions by five years to 2045.