Protesters hold a rally before the European Court of Human Rights ruling in Strasbourg, eastern France, on April 9, 2024.or Pia Hollenstein, the long-awaited ruling at the European Court of Human Rights for a case brought against the Swiss government by her group, KlimaSeniorinnen, came at an inconvenient time. At 73, the retired nurse and former Parliamentarian from St. Gallen is an avid climber, and on the day of the verdict, she was planning to hike the Grisons Alps.
As Hollenstein rejoiced over the verdict with other group members in court, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg cheered them on from the sidelines."This is only the beginning of climate litigation," Thunberg told reporters."This means that we have to fight even more … because, in a climate emergency, everything is at stake."
Although Stern joined the KlimaSeniorinnen six years ago, she says the impact of the heat waves on her health really began to intensify in the last two years. “I had a panic attack when I was traveling on public transport and I couldn’t get out because it was so hot,” she says. “It was just an awful experience not knowing what was happening to my body. I could hardly breathe.”
“From the beginning, we were convinced that Switzerland was violating its obligation to protect these women, but the courts would tell us that it was not in their power to decide this,” says Cordelia Bähr, the lead counsel for the KlimaSeniorinnen. Switzerland isn’t the only country that will have to comply with the European court’s instructions. In fact, this ruling will now be legally binding on 46 countries in Europe currently dealing with the rising tide of similar cases in courts. against the Norwegian government to try and prevent the expansion of fossil fuel extraction in the Arctic.