Wednesday 29 March 2023

Women take Swiss government to court over climate change

The Swiss government is being sued by more than 2,000 women, who claim that climate inaction is having a negative impact on their life and health.

With an average age of 73, the elderly women are basing their lawsuit on the fact that climate change is impacting their human rights.

The case is the first to reach the European Court of Human Rights on the basis of climate change.

These campaigners have called their group the Club of Climate Seniors, with one of the members Elisabeth Stern explaining the decision to sue: “Due to climate change, we have more heatwaves and older women suffer more. They die more often during these heatwaves than they otherwise would.

“Some people say, why are you complaining, you're going to die anyway. But we don't want to die just because our Swiss government has not been successful in coming up with a decent climate policy.”

Climate change cannot be linked directly to deteriorating health in older women, although it can impact health, the Swiss government has accepted.

The Club of Climate Seniors has cited findings that in the last two decades, heat-related deaths for over 65s in Europe has increased by more than 30%.

The Swiss government has been approached for a full response.