Switzerland’s KlimaSeniorinnen Suing Government Before ECHR To Demand Climate Action
Most people are unlikely to think about Switzerland’s KlimaSeniorinnen when they talk about those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
Due to their age – the youngest is 64 – the 2,400 members of the group will witness just a fraction of the extreme climate that their generation’s children and grandchildren are highly expected to experience in the future.
But these retirees living in one of the richest countries on the planet are among those fighting the hardest for a livable future. The members are suing the Swiss government in the European Court of Human Rights for doing too little to stop Earth from baking.
“Our Generation Has Done So Much To Destroy The Climate”
Their case is expected to send ripples through courts across the continent. It rests on a couple of simple facts: heatwaves are getting hotter as people burn fossil fuels, and women – particularly older ones – are more likely to die when temperatures rise.
According to doctors, heat is far more dangerous than people realise. Last year, heat claimed an additional 70,000 lives across Europe, as per the latest analysis of mortality and temperature data. But 2023, the hottest year on record, could see a higher number.
Interestingly, KlimaSeniorinnen have not filed the case in Europe’s top court for their own benefit, in relation to the fact that the climate emergency puts older women at greater risk. Instead, they are thinking more about the younger generation.
“Our generation has done so much to destroy the climate. We have a responsibility,” said one member. The ECHR has not previously ruled on government climate action. It is set to hear the Swiss case, along with similar others early, next year.
Heat Is Far More Dangerous Than People Realise
The Swiss government said it was “legitimate” for members of the public to call on states to do more to combat global heating, but noted that “defining and choosing the measures to be taken is indeed a matter for the government, parliament and people of Switzerland.”
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But Charlotte Blattner, a researcher at the University of Berne who specialises in climate law, said “the chances that the KlimaSeniorinnen will win this case on all grounds is very unlikely.”
