Human rights court investigates climate case

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Should the EMGR deal with the substance of the complaint during the first hearing, this could set a precedent. According to the plaintiffs, Switzerland violates human rights with its climate policy.

On Wednesday, the association and the federal government will be asked to plead their case in court. The court will then retire to deliberate and announce its decision at a later date.

In accordance with current procedures, the ECtHR has put a number of questions to the parties for a preliminary ruling. In particular, whether the association and its members can be considered victims of a violation of the human rights treaty due to Switzerland’s possible inaction with regard to climate protection. And whether the association has been denied access to an effective legal process.

The association of climate seniors, supported by Greenpeace, points to fundamental rights and in particular to the state’s duty to protect. Specifically, he accuses Switzerland of not doing enough to stop climate change. The complainants argued in advance that climate change would lead to increasingly violent heat waves, which would endanger the health of women and the elderly in particular.

In 2016, the association for female climate seniors in Switzerland filed a complaint with the federal government. However, the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (UVEK) did not accede to the request because it believed that the association was not entitled to sue.

In 2020, the federal court also rejected her appeal. In addition to the lack of legal standing, the judges in Lausanne believed that the Swiss system provides sufficient democratic tools to enforce such rights. In the same year, the case came before the ECtHR in Strasbourg (F).

The Association for Women Climate Seniors Switzerland was founded in 2016. According to its own statements, it now has more than 2000 members across Switzerland with an average age of 73 years. Only women of retirement age can join.

(SDA)

Source: Blick