Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are five major themes that explain the basics of Greta Thunberg's climate change lawsuit against five countries under the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child treaty. 

• How could this lawsuit change how countries take action against climate change in the near future? What are the implications for donors? 

• Here are five youth climate activists you should know. 

As the world celebrates the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg and 15 other children are taking the treaty to the fight against climate change.

At the launch of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, these 16 young people – hailing from 12 different countries — filed a landmark legal complaint against five countries under the CRC. With the lawsuit receiving widespread interest from activists and media outlets alike, here are five key questions about the lawsuit to understand its potential impact on human rights and climate action.

  1. What's the lawsuit about? Thunberg and the 15 other children accuse the countries of “inadequate” national pledges to curb the climate crisis because their actions will not stop the global temperature from rising less than 2°C, as agreed to within the Paris Climate Agreement. Without this vital action, they argue that the climate crisis will endanger their livelihoods — from more dangerous storms, food crises, rising sea levels, and more.
  2. Which countries are they calling out? The complaint calls out Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey for failing to uphold their obligations under the CRC.
  3. How are they filing the lawsuit? The lawsuit is being filed under The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified 30 years ago in 1989 and is the most widely ratified treaty in history. 196 countries are party to the CRC, including every member of the UN except for the U.S.
  4. What happens next? In response to the complaint, the Committee, made up of 18 human rights experts from around the world, now must investigate before making recommendations.
  5. What is the likely outcome? Since the complaint centers on how countries will carry through on their agreed-upon climate commitments, the Committee’s recommendations will likely reinforce the countries’ obligations under the Paris Agreement.

Read the full article about Greta Thunberg's lawsuit by Grace Anderson at the United Nations Foundation.