Today the Italian state will return to the courts to answer for its climate policies. After more than two years from the first instance ruling, the Court of Appeal of Rome will finally examine Last Judgmentthe first climate lawsuit brought against the Italian state, accused of not having done enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the population from the consequences of global warming.
Promoted in 2021 by the environmentalist organization A Sud, together with around 200 plaintiffs and 24 associations, the lawsuit aims to obtain recognition of the State’s responsibility for the insufficiency of climate policies.
An important appointment, especially in light of the recent decisions of the European courts which have recognized the role of justice in protecting citizens from the effects of the climate crisis.
What do the appellants ask for?
At the center of Last Judgment according to the promoters, there is a failure to comply with the commitments undertaken by Italy to combat climate change. The main reference is the 2015 Paris Agreement, which commits states to contain global warming well below 2 °C, continuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C.
The appellants ask that the State adopt more ambitious emissions reduction policies, proportionate to its historical responsibilities and economic capabilities. In support of the cause, scientific studies are recalled on the effects of global warming in Italy, including heat waves, drought, desertification and floods.
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Why the process had stopped and what has changed
In February 2024, the Civil Court of Rome declared the requests inadmissible due to absolute lack of jurisdiction, believing that general choices on climate policy could not be examined by the civil judge in the terms proposed by the appellants. A decision contested by A Sud, which appealed.
In the meantime, however, the legal framework has changed. On 21 July 2025, with ordinance no. 20381, the United Sections of the Supreme Court recognized Italian jurisdiction in the climate lawsuit promoted by Greenpeace Italia, ReCommon and twelve citizens against Eni, the Ministry of Economy and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
The Supreme Court of Cassation has not established liability for the climate damage reported, but has clarified that certain requests can be examined by judges. A significant precedent, although the Eni case presents different characteristics from Last Judgment.
The European Court of Human Rights, in April 2024, also condemned Switzerland for the insufficiency of its climate policies, recognizing the obligations of states to protect people from the effects of global warming.
A cause that concerns Italy’s climate future
Meanwhile, the climate crisis continues to show its effects. According to the report European State of the Climate 2025 of Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization, at least 95% of European territory recorded temperatures above the annual average in 2025.
Italy, particularly exposed due to its position in the Mediterranean, must face increasingly higher temperatures, prolonged droughts and intense rainfall. Phenomena which, according to the promoters of the cause, make a reduction in emissions and greater protection of the population even more urgent.
The hearing on October 21st will not necessarily lead to an immediate ruling, but represents an important step in establishing whether citizens’ requests can be examined on their merits. The central question is whether the insufficiency of climate policies can also be assessed by courts, when people’s health, safety and fundamental rights are at stake.
