More than 2,000 women are suing the Swiss government for allegedly infringing their right to life and health through its climate change policies.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will consider the case as the first one involving the effects of climate change on human rights.
It comes after six years of futile court fighting in Switzerland.
Switzerland’s temperatures are rising faster than the average for the world, and heat waves are happening more frequently.
The 73-year-old average age of Swiss women said that the threat of climate change puts their life, health, and even human rights in jeopardy. Their medical records were submitted as evidence to the court.
They urge Switzerland to make a bigger effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions by issuing an order from the ECHR.
The Swiss government acknowledges that climate change can have an impact on health, but claims that it cannot be directly linked to the well-being of older women.
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If the women prevail, the case might serve as a precedent for all 46 of the nations that make up the European Court.
Human activity is causing global temperatures to rise, and climate change now threatens every aspect of human existence.
Unchecked global warming will have disastrous effects on humanity and ecosystems, including increased droughts, rising sea levels, and a mass extinction of species.
Temperature rises must slow down if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, according to climate scientists. They say global warming needs to be kept to 1.5C by 2100.
According to the UN climate body, the IPCC, if global temperature rise cannot be kept within 1.5C, Europe will be vulnerable to flooding caused by extreme rainfall.
Extreme temperatures can also increase the risk of wildfires – as seen in Europe last summer. France and Germany recorded about seven times more land burnt between January and the middle of July 2022, compared with the average.
Story adapted from BBC
