UN experts urge Switzerland and other states to accelerate climate efforts – JURIST
UN experts on Wednesday urged Switzerland and other European Member States to increase their efforts in meeting their international commitments on mitigating climate change, a year since the landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The group of experts recommended that Switzerland and other European states refer to the guidance on intersectionality provided by the UN Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies to ensure that adaptation measures for climate change do not discriminate against certain social groups. UN experts also welcomed initiatives by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe requesting more information on Switzerland’s plans to mitigate the results of climate change. The experts claimed,
All States must inform the public about the measures that are prioritised, the risks associated with the timing of emission reductions and the mitigation technologies relied upon, and any information that would enable the public to take action to prevent or mitigate harm to human health.
The landmark decision at the ECtHR, which found Switzerland liable for human rights violations due to its failure to meet its climate obligations, underscores the importance of protecting vulnerable groups such as older women, who are at higher risk of harm from heat waves.
In Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, the ECtHR interpreted Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) which protects the right to private and family life and home to include the right to State protection from the serious effects of climate change on life, health, well-being and quality of life.
ECtHR judgments are binding on the states concerned under Article 46 of the Convention. Switzerland declared its initial position on the case where it dismissed the court’s ruling, chiding the judges for their broad interpretation of the ECHR and expressed dissatisfaction over claims that the country’s climate policy was inadequate.
Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace hailed the ECtHR judgement as a victory, citing concerns that Switzerland had not adduced sufficient evidence to prove that it was “doing enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees”, as part of its obligations under the Paris Agreement.
In recent decades, Switzerland has experienced the side effects of climate change, with a sharp increase in temperature, a loss of 65 percent of Alpine glacier volume and extreme weather, with a decline in cold periods being observed more frequently. The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment further outlined the harsh reality of climate change in the country, reporting that there was an increase in infectious diseases due to heat waves alongside personal injury due to flooding.
