Swiss women score landmark climate win in European court
Europe’s highest human rights court has ruled its member nations must protect their citizens from the consequences of climate change in a landmark ruling that sided with a group of 2,000 Swiss women against their government.
The case could now have implications across the continent.
The European Court of Human Rights rejected two other, similar cases – a highprofile one brought by Portuguese young people and anotherbyafrenchmayorthat sought to force governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But those plaintiffs noted that the Swiss case sets a legal precedent in the Council of Europe’s 46 member states against which future lawsuits will be judged.
“The most important thing is that the court has said in the Swiss women’s case that governments must cut their emissions more to protect human rights,” said Sofia Oliveira, 19, one of the Portuguese plaintiffs.
“So, their win is a win for us, too, and a win for everyone.”
The Swiss women were overjoyed as they descended to the court building’s foyer to cheers and applause. “I am overwhelmed at the result,” Pia Hollenstein, one of the women, said after the hearing.
The court – which is unrelated to the European Union – faulted Switzerland for not giving sufficient protection to the Senior Women for Climate Protection, whose average age is 74 and who argued that older women are most vulnerable to the extreme heat that is becoming more frequent.
The court said the country “had failed to comply with its duties” to combat climate change and meet emissions targets.
That, the court ruled, constituted a violation of the women’s rights, noting that the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees people “effective protection by the state authorities from the serious adverse effects of climate change on their lives, health, well-being and quality of life”.
“This is a turning point,” said Corina Heri, an expert in climate change litigation at the University of Zurich.
Although activists have had successes with lawsuits in domestic proceedings, this was the first time an international court ruled on climate change – and the first ruling confirmingthatcountrieshave an obligation to protect people from its effects, according to Ms Heri.
She said it would open the door to more legal challenges in the countries that are members of the Council of Europe, which includes the 27 EU nations as well as many others from Britain to Turkey.
Celebrity climate activist Greta Thunberg was in the courtroom as the decision was announced.
“These rulings are a call to action. They underscore the importance of taking our national governments to court,” the 21-year-old Swede said.
Switzerland said it would study the decision to see what steps would be needed. “We have to, in good faith, implement and execute the judgment”.
These rulings underscore the importance of taking governments to court Greta Thunberg