STRASBOURG (Reuters) – Europe’s top human rights court ruled in favour of a group of elderly Swiss women who said their government violated their human rights by not doing enough to combat climate change.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) threw out two similar cases, however. The first of those was brought by six Portuguese young people against 32 European governments and the second by the former French mayor of a low-lying coastal town against the French government.
Here are the court’s findings and reactions to its ruling:
ECtHR PRESIDENT SIOFRA O’LEARY:
“There has been a violation of article eight of the Convention.”
“The court finds that there were some critical lacunae in the Swiss authorities’ process of putting in place the relevant domestic regulatory framework. This included a failure to quantify, through a carbon budget or otherwise, national greenhouse gas emissions limitations.”
“The respondent state had previously failed to meet its past greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by failing to act in good time and in an appropriate and consistent manner.”
SWISS PRESIDENT VIOLA AMHERD:
“I would like to know what the grounds for it are. Sustainability is very important to Switzerland, biodiversity is very important to Switzerland, the net zero target is very important to Switzerland. We are working on those and will continue to work on them with all our strength. This ruling does nothing to change that.”
SWISS FEDERAL OFFICE OF JUSTICE:
“Together with the authorities concerned, we will now analyse the extensive judgment and review what measures Switzerland will take in the future.”
ROSMARIE WYDLER-WAELTI, ONE OF LEADERS OF GROUP OF SWISS WOMEN:
“We still can’t really believe it. We keep asking our lawyers, ‘is that right?’ And they tell us it’s the most you could have had. The biggest victory possible.”
CORDELIA BAEHR, LEAD LAWYER FOR THE GROUP OF SWISS WOMEN:
“I am absolutely overwhelmed and extremely proud that after nine years of intensive work, the senior women have finally got their due. This is an indescribable moment.”
JOIE CHOWDHURY, SENIOR ATTORNEY AT NON-PROFIT CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW:
“We expect this ruling to influence climate action and climate litigation across Europe and far beyond. The ruling reinforces the vital role of courts – both international and domestic – in holding governments to their legal obligations to protect human rights from environmental harm.”
SOFIA OLIVEIRA, APPLICANT IN PORTUGUESE YOUTH CASE:
“I really hoped that we would win against all the countries so obviously I’m disappointed that this didn’t happen. But 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. So, their win is a win for us too and a win for everyone.”
GRETA THUNBERG, SWEDISH CLIMATE ACTIVIST:
“It’s a betrayal beyond words and today’s rulings make very clear that European states have a legal responsibility to take real climate action and to protect people and to protect its citizens.”
“This is only the beginning of climate litigation… The results of this can mean in no way that we lean back. This means that we have to fight even more, since this is only the beginning. Because in a climate emergency, everything is at stake.”
MARIA DA GRACA CARVALHO, PORTUGUESE ENVIRONMENT MINISTER:
“This decision does not diminish our ambition and our responsibility towards climate action. An important legislative effort has been made at European and national level in this area. Portugal has ambitious objectives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, five years ahead of the targets set by the EU.”
EUROPEAN COMMISSION SPOKESPERSON:
“The Commission takes note of these rulings and will of course be studying them very carefully. But regardless of the legal arguments, what these cases do is they remind us of the high importance and urgency which our citizens attach to climate action.”
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Editing by Richard Lough and Barbara Lewis)
