Signal ECtHR KlimaSeniorinnen ruling and ICJ opinion on climate obligations

Summary

The report offers two international examples of the growing use of courts to enforce climate policy. In 2023 the Swiss senior women's association KlimaSeniorinnen brought a case against Switzerland at the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the state was not adequately protecting citizens against heatwaves. The court ruled that Switzerland must tighten its climate policy. The International Court of Justice has also stated that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable living environment is a human right. The report explains that states are therefore bound under international law to tackle climate change and to protect these human rights. According to the report, such cases go beyond demanding compliance with agreed targets and also contest the level of climate ambition itself.