ECHR ruling: Climate inaction violates human rights

ON April 9th, while we were commemorating the fall of Bataan to Japanese troops during World War II on our Day of Valor, an international court made a groundbreaking ruling saying that failure to address the climate crisis is a violation of human rights.

In a case brought forth by Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz (Swiss Elders for Climate Protection) and Others against Switzerland, the European Court on Human Rights (ECHR) concluded that Switzerland is not taking sufficient action to mitigate the effects of climate change. This is considered a violation of the right to respect for private and family life as enshrined in the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights.