Yesterday, Greta Thunberg and 15 other children from around the world petitioned the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to hold five of the world’s leading economic powers accountable for inaction on the climate crisis.
If the kids win their lawsuit, the UN would then classify the climate crisis as a children’s rights crisis. The countries named in the suit are Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Turkey. The petition says these countries have failed to uphold their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a 30-year-old human rights treaty.
Why isn’t the US a respondent in this international lawsuit? Because the US didn’t ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The US are the only UN member state not to do so. Alexandria Villaseñor, one of the 16 children named in the suit, finds this fact “shameful.”
Greta Thunberg tearfully told General Assembly, “This is all wrong, I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. You have stolen my dreams, my childhood with your empty words. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line.”
The children are not asking for monetary compensation. They are asking that the countries immediately adjust their climate goals and work with other nations to reduce emissions to address the climate crisis. These kids are serious and deserve our immediate attention.
Learn more about the children and the lawsuit HERE.
Photo via CNN
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