European court rules Switzerland climate inaction violated human rights
European court rules on climate change cases in Switzerland, Portugal, France The Washington Post
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A Landmark Ruling by European Court on Climate Change Inaction
Introduction
A top European court found Tuesday that Switzerland violated human rights by failing to slow the impact of global warming — a landmark ruling hailed by climate activists even as the court tossed out two other cases that activists had hoped could force governments to protect their citizens from climate change.
First International Court Ruling on Climate Change Inaction
Tuesday’s hearings on the trio of cases at the European Court of Human Rights marked the first time an international court has ruled on such cases of climate change inaction, as advocacy groups and lawmakers around the world try to spur governments to take stronger action on climate change through legislation.
Ruling in Favor of Senior Women for Climate Protection
The court sided with the Swiss group Senior Women for Climate Protection, otherwise known as KlimaSeniorinnen, which comprises more than 2,000 senior women. Their complaint said the government’s failure to mitigate the effects of global warming harmed their living conditions and health.
Violation of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets
The ruling said Switzerland has failed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to meet its own targets. The European Convention on Human Rights “encompasses a right to effective protection” by national authorities “from the serious adverse effects of climate change on lives, health, well-being and quality of life,” it said.
Potential Impact on Climate Litigation Worldwide
Still, the decision Tuesday shows how governments can potentially be held to account in court for climate-related issues, and could influence similar litigation worldwide.
Emphasis on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
“We expect this ruling to influence climate action and climate litigation across Europe and far beyond,” said Joie Chowdhury, a senior attorney for the Center for International Environmental Law. The judgment “leaves no doubt: The climate crisis is a human rights crisis, and [countries] have human rights obligations to act urgently and effectively.”
Dismissal of Other Climate Change Cases
Two other cases accusing European governments of not doing enough to prevent climate change were tossed out as inadmissible. In the French case, the court said the former mayor “had no relevant links” with his onetime town, Grande-Synthe, and had moved from France. In the Portugal case, the court said the group of young people hadn’t pursued available legal avenues domestically and that “no jurisdiction could be established” for the other European countries the group had tried to include in the case.
Vulnerability of Senior Women to Climate Change
The Swiss women’s association — with an average member age of 73 — had contended that their demographic was the most vulnerable to climate change, especially during heat waves. A study published last year, looking at Europe’s scorching 2022 summer, found more than 61,000 heat-related deaths. Some 63 percent of the deaths were among women; the vast majority of those people had been elderly.
Switzerland’s Climate Change Policies
The Climate Action Tracker, an independent research group, calls Switzerland’s climate-related policies and actions “insufficient,” and noted that the country was using bilateral carbon offset deals to help negate some of its domestic emissions. The country, like many others, has pledged to reach net zero by 2050. Alain Chablais, a lawyer representing Switzerland, told the court last year that the country was “constantly raising the level of its ambitions.”
Conclusion
After the decision, Switzerland’s federal office of justice, which represents the country at the human rights court, called the judgment “final.” “The comprehensive judgment will be analyzed with the authorities concerned, and the measures which Switzerland has to take for the future will be examined.” Elisabeth Stern, a board member of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland, said the feeling was “unbelievable” after years of work. “Whatever improvement the Swiss government will now hopefully accelerate in terms of climate policy, it’s for the younger generation to benefit,” she said. “I’m now 76 years old, but the next generation hopefully can gain from what we did today.”
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
- SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
- SDG 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination
- SDG 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Greenhouse gas emissions reduction rate
- Implementation of climate change mitigation measures
- Number of deaths and illnesses related to climate change impacts
- Number of deaths, affected people, and economic losses caused by climate-related disasters
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters | Greenhouse gas emissions reduction rate |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | Implementation of climate change mitigation measures |
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | Number of deaths and illnesses related to climate change impacts | |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations | Number of deaths, affected people, and economic losses caused by climate-related disasters |
Note: The specific indicators mentioned in the article are inferred based on the content and may not be explicitly stated.
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Source: washingtonpost.com
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