Who are elderly Swiss women who won landmark climate case
In a historic win, Europe's top human rights court ruled in favor of a group of elderly Swiss ladies who argued that their government had not done enough to tackle climate change. The ruling came a year after the group, KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz (Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland), argued their case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on March 29, 2023. Who are the elderly women from Switzerland who won the first such verdict against a state?
Why does this story matter?
The verdict is significant since there are several pending climate change cases at the court, including one against the Norwegian government for violating human rights by renewing oil and gas exploration licenses. Setting a precedent at the ECHR means that it could be applied to the other 45 countries that are signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights. If Switzerland does not amend its policies, more litigation could follow at the national level, and courts could levy fines.
Who are the elderly Swiss women
A small group of women over the age of retirement with similar concerns about climate change formed the association in August 2016. Their aim was to demand more action toward meeting the targets set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Paris agreement established targets for states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—with the goal of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The group spent eight years battling its case in Swiss courts before approaching the ECHR.
How did KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz win
The women's strategy was based in part on their medical vulnerability as older citizens to extreme heat caused by climate change. According to the group, reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, among others, show elderly Swiss senior women are more vulnerable to heat-related medical issues such as dehydration, hyperthermia, fatigue, heat cramps, and heat stroke. Within Switzerland, they are also the most sensitive to aggravated health conditions, such as respiratory, cardiovascular, and kidney difficulties caused by high heat.
Legal battle and victory for climate protection
The group, which is backed by Greenpeace, spent nearly eight years battling its case in Swiss courts before the ECHR ruled in its favor on Tuesday. The court found that Switzerland had violated Article 8 of the ECHR. In her verdict, Court President Siofra O'Leary stated that the Swiss government had failed to meet its own greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and had failed to establish a national carbon budget.
Association leadership and support
Cordelia Bahr, the association's lawyer, hailed the court's ruling as a "huge victory for us and a legal precedent for all the states of the Council of Europe." The association is led by co-presidents Anne Mahrer, a librarian from Geneva, and Rosmarie Wydler-Walti, an education and marriage counselor from Basel. Both have been active in environmental protection movements for many years.
