European Court of Human Rights Rules Russian Climate Case Inadmissible in June
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The European Court of Human Rights ruled the Russian Climate Case inadmissible in June without providing reasoning. Plaintiffs, including Arshak Makichyan, called the decision unexpected and politically motivated. Russia's temperatures are rising at more than twice the global average.
Key Facts
- The European Court of Human Rights ruled the Russian Climate Case inadmissible in June without providing reasoning.
- Russia, the fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, the United States and India, is warming at more than twice the global average.
- Only 1,813 Yukaghir people remain, according to the latest census, after conquest, disease, assimilation and Soviet-era industrialisation.
- The lawsuit was filed four years ago, first through the Russian Supreme Court and then the European Court of Human Rights.
- Arshak Makichyan and other family members were stripped of Russian citizenship in 2022, which he believes was retaliation for his activism.
The ECHR Ruling
An ECHR judge ruled the case inadmissible in June. Plaintiff Arshak Makichyan said no reasoning was provided for the decision. Makichyan said the legal team disagreed and considered the outcome unexpected because the court had ruled on similar cases. He said he personally believed the decision was political and that the court was reluctant to deal with Russia on such a serious issue. Makichyan and other family members were stripped of Russian citizenship in 2022, which he believes was retaliation for his activism.
Climate Threats in Siberia
Temperatures in Russia are rising at more than twice the global average, with Russia the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China, the United States and India. The Yukaghir people, who historically survived on fishing, hunting, gathering and reindeer herding in northeast Siberia, now number 1,813 according to the latest census. Yukaghir elder Vyacheslav Shadrin said weather cycles are no longer predictable and elders say nature is playing tricks or deceiving them. Shadrin described traditional ecological knowledge that allowed the community to exploit natural resources effectively and in an environmentally friendly manner. Floods occurred once every three to four years, and catastrophic floods once every 10 years, but the climate crisis is now an everyday reality in Siberia and Russia's Far North and Far East.
Case Origins
The Russian Climate Case was filed four years ago, first through the Russian Supreme Court and then the European Court of Human Rights. The plaintiffs argued the Russian government had been irresponsible and failed to meet its international climate obligations. The case was brought in response to mounting environmental consequences on the Siberian tundra and the entire planet. Activist Arshak Makichyan was among the plaintiffs.
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European Court of Human Rights Rules Russian Climate Case Inadmissible in June
