‘Absurd’ European climate ruling could harm democracy, say Swiss press
Newspapers in Switzerland have criticised a climate change ruling against the Swiss government by Europe’s top human rights court, saying it risks undermining democracy and the political clout of environmental groups.
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La prensa suiza señala que la “absurda” decisión europea sobre el clima podría dañar la democracia
Tuesday’s ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in favour of over 2,000 Swiss women who said the Swiss government had not done enough to combat climate change is expected to embolden more people to bring climate cases against governments.
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Landmark ruling: Switzerland’s climate policy violates human rights
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The European Court of Human Rights says the Swiss authorities are responsible for not implementing efficient climate change policies and for violating the right to life of a group of elderly women.
As environmental groups celebrated the ruling by the Strasbourg court, newspaper editorials said the decision would fan fears that the judiciary was getting involved in politics.
“Absurd verdict against Switzerland: Strasbourg pursues climate policy from the judges bench,” the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) wrote.
Describing the ruling as “activist jurisprudence” that could pave the way for “all kinds of claims”, the paper said the elderly plaintiffs were ultimately pawns of environmental lobbies that used the court to circumvent democratic debate.
Switzerland, where referendums regularly test the limits of national policymaking, has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, from 1990 levels.
The government had proposed stronger measures to deliver the goal, but voters rebuffed them in a 2021 referendum.
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Swiss CO2 law defeated at the ballot box
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Swiss voters have rejected legislation at the heart of the country’s strategy to abide by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Under the headline “We don’t want climate justice”, Blick called the court’s ruling “questionable” and warned it was likely to deepen divisions over climate policy.
“And in European politics, it should be noted, this plays into the hands of those who smell foreign judges everywhere,” the paper wrote.
The Tages-Anzeiger meanwhile said in an editorial that while the court had highlighted the limitations of Switzerland’s climate agenda, democracy would come under pressure if courts began to shape policy.
Making reference to the 2021 referendum, the paper said the ruling risked confirming widely held views that the court was meddling with national decision-making.
That in turn could come back to haunt environmentalists at the ballot box when disgruntled voters vent their frustration “against the Green parties who now want to use the verdict for their political agenda”, the paper wrote.
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A majority of Swiss believe it’s important to avoid emissions in their everyday lives, although fewer are likely to back up their views with action.
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