By: Ella Davidson
The Swiss Klimaseniorinnen were able to, for the first time, prove in international courts that a national government had directly violated their human rights by not taking sufficient action against climate change. But what was their strategy, and how did they succeed at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)?
- To maximise their chances, the women created their association to specifically target issues affecting their age group and gender. This way they could demonstrate the concrete impact of climate change through heat waves on their lives, increasing their likelihood of success.
- In a novel way they were also able to mobilise the fact that Switzerland is a party of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. They directly linked climate change to obligations under this human rights convention.
- The ECHR is a court of last appeal and cases are only valid if they have been rejected at each level of domestic courts before. Once rejected by all possible Swiss courts, the Klimaseniorrinen were able to argue that Switzerland has ignored the protection of their interests, particularly violating their ability to access courts and providing an effective remedy.
The case of the Klimaseniorinnen provides powerful legal precedent that can be used by other vulnerable communities to hold governments accountable in international courts for not protecting their citizens against climate change. This adds a powerful tool to the arsenal of concerned citizens pushing increased climate action through democratic means.
The victory of the Klimaseniorinnen is also a strong reminder about the power of grassroots initiatives in forcing political change. What started out as a group of 44 activist seniors, in a few years bloomed to an association of more than 2,500. They not only managed to gain a valuable victory in the battle against climate change, but also inspired many more people to action in the process.
