Greta Thunberg has announced that the Swedish youth climate organisation Aurora is again taking the Swedish government to court — this time with a reworked lawsuit accusing the state of falling short of its legal duty to protect citizens, especially children and young people, from climate harm. Thunberg made the announcement on 22 September, according to a report by Novara Media.
The group says Sweden is cutting planet-warming pollution faster than the European Union average but is still not on course to hit its 2045 net-zero target. Aurora wants the courts to decide whether that gap amounts to a violation of fundamental rights — a test case that could reshape climate accountability in Sweden.
Three demands from Aurora
The new lawsuit centers on three demands. Aurora wants stronger emissions cuts aimed at keeping global warming to 1.5°C, better protection for ecosystems such as forests, and the counting of emissions missing from official figures — including those from burning imported biomass.
Alongside the court challenge, Aurora and Thunberg are building public backing. The report says campaigners have raised more than £180,000 (around $238,000) so far for the forthcoming lawsuit, and their fundraising message frames the stakes plainly: a safe and just world is still possible, they say, but only if rich, high-emitting states like Sweden meet their duty to protect people from the devastation of the climate crisis and start transforming their societies before 2030.
Why this case is different from the last one
This is Aurora’s second attempt. As early as 2022, the group filed a class action lawsuit backed by hundreds of young Swedes, arguing the state was violating rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights by not doing enough to limit climate change or mitigate its effects.
In February 2025, Sweden’s Supreme Court dismissed that case, ruling that a court cannot order parliament or the government to take any specific climate action. But the court also left a door open: it indicated that a differently structured claim — one focused on whether individuals’ rights have been violated rather than on ordering specific measures — might stand a better chance.
Aurora then took over the case from the young people as an association-led claim. In July 2026, the Chancellor of Justice (JK) announced that the case could be heard in Stockholm District Court — the first time Sweden’s state responsibility for climate action will be tested in this way. The main hearing is tentatively due to begin in autumn 2027.
Part of a wider youth-litigation wave
Aurora’s case joins a growing movement of youth-led climate litigation across Europe. In the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, activists have already won rulings pushing governments toward stronger environmental measures, and a 2024 ruling from the European Court of Human Rights said citizens can bring climate cases against governments when climate breakdown threatens their right to private and family life.
For Thunberg — who has supported Aurora’s effort — the lawsuit marks another chapter in the shift from street protest to the courtroom as young activists seek legal pressure where political promises fall short.
FAKTA
- Who: Aurora, a Swedish youth climate organisation, backed by Greta Thunberg
- What: A second, reworked climate lawsuit against the Swedish state, announced 22 September 2026
- Three demands: stronger emissions cuts for 1.5°C; better protection of ecosystems such as forests; counting of emissions missing from official figures, including imported biomass
- Aurora’s argument: Sweden cuts pollution faster than the EU average but is not on course for its 2045 net-zero target
- First case: class action filed 2022, dismissed by Sweden’s Supreme Court in February 2025 — with the court leaving open a differently structured claim
- Next step: main hearing in Stockholm District Court tentatively in autumn 2027; campaigners have raised over £180,000 for the case
Youth-led climate action is reaching the courts across Europe — and Aurora’s case may decide whether Sweden’s climate promises hold up legally. Follow the same story on our main site: Aurora’s second climate lawsuit against Sweden, and browse all of our climate coverage.
