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Takeaways from the Swiss women’s climate victory | Reuters

Rosmarie Wydler-Walti and Anne Mahrer, of the Swiss elderly women group Senior Women for Climate Protection, attend the hearing of the court for the ruling in the climate case Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg,, France April 9, 2024.

Reuters report that The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of more than 2,000 Swiss women on Tuesday, affirming their argument that the Swiss government violated their human rights by failing to take sufficient action on climate change.

Here are some takeaways from the verdict.

WEAK CLIMATE POLICIES CAN BREACH HUMAN RIGHTS

This is the first time a regional human rights court has ruled that countries can violate human rights by failing to reduce their climate-warming emissions fast enough.
The Court said it interpreted the European Convention on Human Rights language on a right to private and family life to encompass a right to effective protection by governments from climate change’s adverse impacts on lives, health, well-being and quality of life.

THE WIN WILL CHANGE CLIMATE CASE LAW IN EUROPE

The Court’s ruling against the Swiss government does not only matter for Switzerland, but for all 46 countries which are signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights. Any climate and human rights case brought before a judge in Europe’s national courts will now need to consider the top human rights court’s ruling in whatever decision they make.

THE CASE COULD IMPACT CLIMATE LITIGATION WORLDWIDE

While the outcome of the Swiss women’s case is not legally binding in jurisdictions outside Europe, experts expect international courts will consider the ruling in future judgments.
Three other international tribunals — the International Court of Justice, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea — are also writing advisory opinions now on states’ obligations on climate change.

 

Continue Reading the full article on Reuters >>

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