Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Anne Marler and Rosmarie Weider-Walty of the Climate Senior Women's Organization after their victory at the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, France, April 9, 2024.
CNN
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An international court in France ruled on Tuesday that Switzerland's failure to adequately address the climate crisis was a human rights violation, in a landmark climate ruling that could have ripple effects around the world. Ta.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France, has handed down a judgment in a case. The lawsuit was brought against the Swiss government by more than 2,000 Swiss women, most of them in their 70s. They argued that heat waves caused by climate change were harming people's health and quality of life, putting them at risk of death.
The court has ruled that the Swiss government has violated some women's human rights by failing to meet past climate targets due to “serious deficiencies” in its national law on reducing global warming emissions. .
this is The court said in a statement that it was a violation of women's right to be effectively protected from “the serious adverse effects of climate change on life, health, well-being and quality of life.”
This will be the first time the court has decided on a climate change case. There is no right of appeal and the judgment is legally binding.
According to experts, the court's decision This could strengthen other human rights-based climate change lawsuits pending in international tribunals and open the floodgates to numerous similar lawsuits being launched in the future.
“Today's decision against Switzerland sets a historic precedent that applies to all European countries,” Jerry Liston, a lawyer with the Global Legal Action Network, which supported Portugal's case, said in a statement. . “This means all European countries must urgently revise their targets to match 1.5 degrees based on science. This is a huge victory for all generations.”
The ruling could also force Switzerland to cut its fossil fuel consumption more quickly. Fossil fuels are the main cause of anthropogenic climate change.
Vesselina Newman of environmental lawyers group ClientEarth said the result was “a finding from one of the world's highest courts that shows governments must take real action on emissions to protect people's human rights.” It sends a clear message.”
The Swiss Federal Attorney's Office, which represents Switzerland before the human rights court, said it would “take note” of the ruling.
In a statement to CNN, the government said: “We will analyze the overall decision with the relevant authorities and consider what steps Switzerland should take in the future.”
The court also decided on two other cases. One case was brought by a municipal mayor against the French government, and the third was the largest and most high-profile case brought by six young Portuguese men against 32 European countries. These two claims were ruled “inadmissible.”
Jean-François Badias/AP
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (second from left) joins Portuguese youth in a demonstration outside the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday.
France's claim was excluded because the claimant had since moved abroad. There was no longer any connection to the area where his case was the focus Therefore, it did not qualify as a “victim” for the purposes of the litigation.
The court dismissed the Portuguese case on the basis that the plaintiffs had not exhausted all legal avenues in domestic courts. First, the system. The court also ruled that there was no basis for extending claims to countries other than Portugal.
Catalina dos Santos Mota, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said that although the ruling did not go her way, she still won her case. “We didn't destroy the wall, but there was a big crack in it,” she said. “I hope that the victory against Switzerland will be used against all European countries and in domestic courts,” she said.
As the climate crisis worsens, governments and businesses need to do more to combat climate change, especially as the world remains far off track to reduce emissions fast enough to avoid catastrophic warming. Climate litigation is becoming increasingly popular as a tool to seek enforcement.
“This is just the beginning of climate change litigation,” climate activist Greta Thunberg told reporters outside the court.
“A growing number of people around the world are taking governments to court and holding them accountable for their actions,” Thunberg said, adding: “We will use every tool in our toolbox.”
Tuesday's ruling in favor of the Swiss woman sets a “precedent for other international courts to follow,” Liston of the Global Legal Action Network told CNN.
There are pending cases related to the human rights impacts of climate change before both the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
CNN's Louis Mian contributed reporting.