A group of Swiss retirees took their government to a top European court Wednesday over what they claim is its failure to take stronger action on climate change.
Lawyers and members of the group Senior Women for Climate Protection appeared before the European Court of Human Rights for a rare public hearing that activists say could mark a legal milestone in legal efforts to force governments to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The group, which counts around 2,000 members across Switzerland with an average age of 73, argues that older women’s rights are especially infringed on because they are most affected by the extreme heat that will become more frequent due to global warming, which current Swiss climate policy contributes to.
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“It’s been proved that we older women are particularly sensitive (to climate change),” said plaintiff Rosmarie Wydler-Waelti, 73, from Basel. “We get …