According to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Switzerland has not complied with the Paris Climate Agreement. However, the judgement does not only apply to Switzerland, according to Swiss ECHR judge Andreas Zünd.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
The decision is a landmark judgement for all member states of the Council of Europe, Zünd told Swiss Public Radio SRF on Friday morning. The impetus for the judgement simply came from Switzerland with the elderly women’s group Swiss Climate Seniors Association.
The Swiss ECHR judge said that the Paris Climate Agreement had been decisive for the decision. Its contents were part of Swiss law because the agreement had been ratified by Switzerland. “In our opinion, Switzerland does not fulfil the agreement,” said Zünd.
No interference in climate policy
The court does not prescribe how exactly Switzerland should fulfil the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. “The means are subject to democratic debate,” said Zünd, referring to the judgement. The court does not intervene in the political process. It is now up to Switzerland to decide how politicians want to implement the judgement.
Zünd was also responding to the criticism that judges should not pursue climate policy, which arose from the Swiss People’s Party, Centre Party and Radical-Liberals after the ruling. The Radical-Liberals, for example, accused the court of not understanding Swiss democracy. The Liberal Greens, Greens and Social Democrats saw their demands confirmed. The Social Democrats interpreted the judgement as a slap in the face for the Federal Council.
Delayed damage
When asked why climate protection is an enforceable human right, Zünd replied: “We were guided by the Convention on Human Rights.” Two articles would have allowed a reference to climate change: The right to life and the right to privacy. The latter also includes physical well-being, Zünd said.
It was becoming apparent that climate change would severely affect people’s well-being and could even lead to death. “Climate change poses a new challenge because the damage is not immediate,” said the judge.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kc/ac
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Global elections
One Swiss man’s patient work towards a democratic Romania
Swiss foreign minister praises improved relations with Italy
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis expressed his satisfaction on Tuesday with the good relations that Switzerland has developed with Italy.
Boating and swimming to be banned on part of River Aare in Bern
This content was published on
From September, the city and canton of Bern will be carrying out extensive construction work on the River Aare to protect against flooding and to renovate the Marzili outdoor pool.
Moutier: foreigners familiarise themselves with right to vote
This content was published on
From 2026, Moutier will be part of the Swiss canton of Jura, gaining more than 1,000 new voters. On Monday around 50 people were informed about their new rights.
Switzerland ‘more than ready’ to host Ukraine summit
This content was published on
Switzerland is more than ready to host a summit between Russia and Ukraine, says Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, highlighting Switzerland's expertise in this area.
This content was published on
Every second aircraft at Zurich Airport took off late this summer. However, the situation has already improved significantly compared to last year.
Swiss union federation demands average wage increase of 2%
This content was published on
The employees' umbrella organisation Travailsuisse is demanding an average wage increase of two percent for all employees in the coming year. This would cover the rising cost of living and make up for wage shortfalls in recent years.
‘Dr Pump’ sentenced for administering unauthorised substances
This content was published on
A Bern Regional Court has found the Solothurn doctor known as "Dr Pump" guilty of offences against the Sports Promotion Law. The man had administered unauthorised substances to patients.
This content was published on
Volunteering can have a positive effect on mental health. According to a survey conducted in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, people who volunteer for others also strengthen themselves.
This content was published on
Twint is being used more and more frequently to make purchases at the till or transfer money to friends using a smartphone. By the middle of the year, the payment app already had more than six million users in Switzerland.
This content was published on
The meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin should take place in Europe, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. He is calling for it to be held in Geneva.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.