Five-year-old among Austrian children taking government to court over climate

(Matthias Schrader/AP)

A dozen Austrian children are taking their government to court to try to force it to ensure their constitutional rights are protected by taking tougher action against climate change.

A lawyer for the group said the case, submitted to the country’s top court on Tuesday, is modelled on a similar claim in Germany which prompted the government there to set new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions two years ago.