Anne Mahrer and Rosmarie Wydler-Walti from Senior Women for Climate Protection won their climate case in April
The court agreed in April and ordered Switzerland, which has so far failed to meet is targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to do more.Climate activists had hoped it would send a signal to other governments that human rights law could be used to defend citizens who believe their health is being harmed by worsening environmental factors.
Switzerland is currently not on course to reach its Paris Climate Agreement goals – which seek to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – and opinion polls show many Swiss are worried about this.But the Swiss are also very proud of their system of direct democracy. They are used to making decisions themselves, and the "foreign judges" jibe resonates with them.