Swiss women win historic victory over climate change
The European Court of Human Rights stated that the Swiss government has not done enough to fight climate change and has violated the human rights of its citizens.
The decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will set a precedent for any future climate change cases.
A group of elderly women in Switzerland filed this case 9 years ago. Most of the women are in their seventies.
Their complaint in the Human Rights Court is that fires are occurring due to climate change. Due to age and gender, they are suffering more damage due to the impact of this violence.
The Senior Women for Climate Protection are complaining that they are unable to stay home during fires in Switzerland and experience physical issues. There are more than two thousand women in this association.
The court in Strasbourg, France, said that Switzerland didn’t fulfil its obligations under the Convention on Climate Change.
There are ‘fatal’ gaps in the country’s policies to deal with the effects of climate change. The country’s government has failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We still can’t believe it,” said Rosemary Wedler-Walty, one of the women who sued after the court’s decision in their favor.
I asked our lawyers; they heard it right? In response, they said, “You have received the maximum from the court.”
The court rejected two climate change cases from six young people in Portugal and a former mayor from France.
The lawsuits allege that European governments have failed to act quickly enough to combat the effects of climate change. Their rights have been violated.