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None of the claims made by those arguing a violation of their charter rights have been tested in court.

Canada’s attorney general has not responded to a request for comment.

Maureen Killoran, a litigator at Osler law firm with expertise in energy and resource law, said the suit is part of a global trend but only a case in the Netherlands has been successful in holding a government responsible for its domestic contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions.

In that case brought by the environmental group Urgenda on behalf of 900 Dutch citizens, an appeals court last year upheld a landmark ruling that ordered the Dutch government to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent by 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels.

The court said the government is under a legal obligation to take measures to protect its citizens against climate change after failing to meet its own targets.

“Considering the great dangers that are likely to occur, more ambitious measures have to be taken in the short term to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to protect the life and family life of citizens in the Netherlands,” the court said in a statement.

Killoran said several jurisdictions have modelled lawsuits after the Dutch case.

In Quebec, an environmental group sought to launch a class-action lawsuit against the federal government almost a year ago for what it said was a failure to combat climate change. Lawyers argued Quebecers 35 and under are being deprived of a right to a healthy environment and will suffer the effects of global warming more than older generations.