Ecodefense & Other NGOs v. Russia

On September 11, 2022, activists from several climate groups in Russia filed a case before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation demanding that the Russian government protect its citizens from the risk of future death or serious illness by keeping global emissions to 1.5-1.8C in accordance with its obligations under domestic and international law. The plaintiffs request that Russian authorities take measures that will reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the targets of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Russia is currently the fourth biggest producer of carbon emissions worldwide, and needs to reduce 31% of its 1991 levels to meet the 2030 goal of the Paris Accords. The plaintiffs contend that Russia’s insufficient measures on climate change are “violating the Russian constitution and the European convention on human rights”. Russia would withdraw from the ECHR on Friday, 16 September, which means the climate lawsuit would be among the last cases in the country that the ECHR could issue a binding agreement on, if it is taken to the European courts. The court denied the application on September 21, and it was subsequently submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. Proceedings with the European Court of Human Rights are currently pending. In May of 2024, plaintiffs also submitted a constitutional claim to the Russian Constitutional Court, which is currently under review.