Europe’s highest human rights court has ruled its member nations must protect their citizens from the consequences of climate change in a landmark ruling that sided with a group of 2,000 Swiss women against their government. The European Court of Human Rights rejected two other, similar cases — a high-profile one brought by Portuguese young people and another by a French mayor that sought to force governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But those plaintiffs rejoiced, nonetheless, since the Swiss case sets a legal precedent in the Council of Europe’s 46 member states against which future lawsuits will be judged. “The most important thing is that the court has said in the Swiss women’s case that governments must cut their emissions more to protect human rights,” said 19-year-old Sofia Oliveira, one of the Portuguese plaintiffs. The Swiss women were overjoyed as they descended to the court building’s foyer to cheers and applause. The court — which is unrelated to the European Union — faulted Switzerland for not giving sufficient protection to the Senior Women for Climate Protection, whose average age is 74 and who argued that older women are most vulnerable to the extreme heat that is becoming more frequent. The court said the country “had failed to comply with its duties” to combat climate change and meet emissions targets
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