Activists of Climate Seniors from Switzerland wait in front of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), before the judgement in a case against of different European countries accused of climate inaction, at the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg, France, 09 April 2024. The Strasbourg-based court was asked to rule in a trio of cases brought by a French mayor, six Portuguese young people, and more than 2,000 members of Switzerland's Senior Women for Climate Protection. Judges are to rule on complaints brought against Portugal, Switzerland, and France over carbon emissions. The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights could set a precedent for all its signatory members. EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEKIn April, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg issued an unprecedented judgment that said Bern had violated the human rights of a group of older Swiss women, the KlimaSeniorinnen, by failing to tackle climate change.
But Bern's lower house on Wednesday followed in the steps of the upper house and passed a non-binding motion with 111 votes in favour and 72 against blasting the court's "judicial activism". It argued there was no reason to take further action because Switzerland was already doing enough.
During the debate, lawmakers denounced the court's "interference" in Swiss democracy and one called the Strasbourg ruling "erroneous" as several older women who brought the case to Strasbourg looked on.
One of the MPs from the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP)People's Party (SVP) which is the biggest party in parliament, appeared to mock the women, criticising them for bringing a case "because they are a bit too hot in the summer".
He was referring to the women's argument that the government's inadequate efforts to combat climate change put them at risk of dying during heatwaves.
"It's really disgraceful what just happened," Stefanie Brander, 68, told Reuters after the vote, her voice shaking with anger. "It's an insult and a lack of respect of our rights which were confirmed by an international court."
Outside parliament, a small group of climate protesters sat held up signs saying "betrayed" "shocked" and "alarmed".
While the governing Federal Council is free to break with parliament, the environment minister, one of its members, has also appeared to play down the ruling.
Isabela Keuschnigg, legal researcher with the London School of Economics, said that if the government refused to implement the ruling, it could "set a concerning precedent, undermining the role of legal oversight in democratic governance".
Such an act, if formalised, would be unprecedented in the Council of Europe.
But it would also be evidence of political pushback against international climate action, especially after broad far-right gains in this month's European parliament election.
The case is part of a raft of climate litigation moving through world courts. Latin America's human rights court is set to issue an advisory opinion later this year after staging hearings across the region.
(Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva and Gloria Dickie in London; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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