The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of 2,000 elderly Swiss women suing their government over its handling of climate change in a landmark ruling on Tuesday.The group of women argued their government’s inadequate efforts to combat climate change put them at increased risk of dying due to heatwaves. Based in Strasbourg, France, the court said the Swiss government had violated the human rights of “health, well-being and quality of life.
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France delivered its ruling in a case brought by more than 2,000 Swiss women, the majority of whom are in their 70s, against Switzerland’s government. They argued that climate change-fueled heat waves undermined their health and quality of life, and put them at risk of dying.
The European court's decision on the case, brought by more than 2,000 women, could have a ripple effect across Europe and beyond, setting a precedent for how some courts deal with the rising tide of climate litigation argued on the basis of human rights infringements.The European Court of Human Rights has made a landmark ruling that governments have a duty to protect people from climate change.
In a case brought by a group of elderly Swiss women, the Strasbourg judges ruled that Switzerland was not doing enough to tackle climate change. The ruling is binding and can trickle down to influence the law in 46 countries in Europe including the UK. The court found that the Swiss state had violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the “right to respect...