The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has to treat a lawsuit leveraged by the Swiss ‘Club of Climate Seniors’ against their own country for failing to act on climate change, a first in the history of the Court. The activists want to ensure that the Swiss government is forced to become proactive and argue that a lack of action should be considered a human rights violation.
The seniors further argue that climate change has a direct impact on the health of elderly people and that the government is bound to protect them. “We demand that the court protect vulnerable people against irreversible climate implications”, said Jenny Sandvig from the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI). Activists also noted that greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to extreme heat waves, which are responsible for people dying each year.
A handful seniors from Luxembourg travelled to Strasbourg to support the climate activists last Wednesday. Greenpeace helped launch the initiative, dubbed ‘Seniors for Climate Luxembourg’, about a year ago. “For me it is about making people aware that climate change is already costing lives in our society, not somewhere at the end of the world”, explained the initiative’s Norbert Noben.
Although there are already numerous movements and organisations devoted to climate protection, Seniors for Climate Luxembourg has a slightly different approach, according to Lucien Reger: “What we have is experience that we can share.” He pledged to continue raising awareness, but also to work closely with young people.
Noben recalled the weather changes he observed over the years: “In my youth there were at least two weeks of snow allowing us to use our sleds every year. Summer months used to be warm, but never as dry and pronounced as they are now.”
The ECHR is expected to take a decision in the case against Switzerland by the end of the year at the earliest. If it is in favour of the seniors, it might set a precedent that will pressure governments to act on climate change, which includes the goals of the 2015 Paris Accords.
In any case, Seniors for Climate Luxembourg plan on growing their initiative. “We are still in the founding phase, but we hope to still find young and old people willing to get involved”, underlined Reger.
