Climate | Switzerland guilty of climate inaction

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that a member state – Switzerland – was guilty of climate inaction, a first. The decision could set a precedent and apply elsewhere in Europe, while the month of March 2024 was the hottest in history.

Switzerland singled out

The legal action was launched eight years ago by the association Aînées pour le climat. This association bringing together 2,500 elderly women attacked the inaction of the Swiss government in the face of climate change. In its judgment, the ECHR concludes that Switzerland, “for lack of having acted in a timely and appropriate and coherent manner”, failed in its obligations and was guilty of “serious shortcomings”, in particular by not quantifying national limits on greenhouse gases (GHGs), for example using a carbon budget.

Consequences beyond Switzerland

The decision, which is final and cannot be appealed, sets a precedent: it can serve as a reference in other cases relating to climate change. It has implications for Switzerland, but applies in the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. “The Court has set a list of requirements for a State to comply with its climate obligations and that is completely new and it is something very spectacular and very gratifying”, reported to the AFP Raphaël Mahaim, one of the lawyers of the association of Swiss Elders for the climate.

“Excellent decision”

France-Isabelle Langlois, general director of Amnesty International Canada francophone, notes that the judgment is a first. “This is an excellent decision for us, for the defense of human rights. The judgment has force, it creates a precedent. It puts pressure on states and governments. We know that in periods of extreme heat, it is the elderly who suffer the most. This is a public health issue. » Switzerland, she says, is not the most exposed country. “If climate change has impacts in countries like Switzerland and Canada, imagine Africa, South America, the islands…”

Greta Thunberg welcomes the decision

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg welcomed the court’s decision. “This is just the beginning when it comes to climate litigation: around the world, more and more people are taking their governments to court to hold them accountable for their actions,” she said. At the same time, we learned on Monday that March 2024 was the hottest March on record, according to the European Copernicus Observatory. This is the tenth month in a row where the highest average temperatures have been recorded.

With Agence France-Presse