Swiss lawmakers dismiss European court’s climate change allegation
A Swiss parliamentary committee rejected an allegation against them by a top European court. The court had said that Switzerland violated the human rights of its citizens by not taking sufficient measures to prevent climate change.
In April, a group of elderly Swiss women took their government to court. They accused the government over its record of addressing global warming. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg found their verdict to favour the plaintiffs.
Read more: ‘Old Wives” win against the Swiss government, explained
The court’s decision held Switzerland responsible since the country had a legal duty to take greater action to reduce emissions. The decisions were also expected to empower more people to bring climate cases against their governments.
However, the legal affairs committee of the upper house of Switzerland’s parliament voted to reject the ruling. Andrea Caroni, a lawmaker on the committee, said the rebuff was based on the grounds that the country was taking enough action.
Additionally, the ruling also received widespread criticism in Switzerland. The country’s environment minister said the ruling was hard to reconcile with direct democracy, as the Swiss government pushed back against the Strasbourg court’s decision.
Switzerland has committed to being environmentally conscious by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to its 1990 levels.
Referendums are regularly held in Switzerland to test the limits of national policymaking. In one such referendum held in 2021, Swiss voters had rejected their government’s proposal of adopting stronger measures to deliver the goals about climate change.
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