Overview

• The lawsuit, filed on April 8, 2025, is the first in Europe where citizens and NGOs are suing a government for insufficient climate adaptation efforts.
• Plaintiffs include individuals directly impacted by climate change, such as victims of flooding, heatwaves, and water scarcity, underscoring the human costs of inaction.
• The case targets the French government’s recently updated Pnacc 3 adaptation plan, criticized for inadequate funding and limited measures to mitigate climate risks.
• Environmental organizations Notre affaire à tous, Oxfam France, and Greenpeace France are backing the lawsuit, continuing their efforts to hold the state accountable after prior climate inaction rulings in 2021.
• While experts acknowledge the lawsuit’s potential to raise awareness, they express doubts about its ability to compel substantive policy changes.