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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 10 april 2024
Verdict saying Switzerland violated rights by failing on climate

action could ripple across Europe

By MOLLY QUELL and on their lives, health, well-
RAF CASERT being and quality of life.”
Associated Press A group called Senior
STRASBOURG, France (AP) Women for Climate Protec-
— Europe’s highest human tion, whose average age is
rights court ruled Tuesday 74, had argued that they
that countries must better were particularly affected
protect their people from because older women are
the consequences of cli- most vulnerable to the ex-
mate change, siding with a treme heat that is becom-
group of older Swiss women ing more frequent.
against their government “The court recognized
in a landmark ruling that our fundamental right to
could have implications a healthy climate and to
across the continent. have our country do what
The European Court of Hu- it failed to do until now:
man Rights rejected two that is to say taking ambi-
other, similar cases on pro- tious measures to protect
cedural grounds — a high- our health and protect the
profile one brought by Por- future of all,” said Anne
tuguese young people and Mahrer, a member of the
another by a French mayor group.
that sought to force gov- Switzerland said it would
ernments to reduce green- Portugal’s Catarina dos Santos Mota, center, attends the session at the European Court of Human study the decision to see
Rights Tuesday, April 9, 2024 in Strasbourg, eastern France.
house gas emissions. Associated Press what steps would be need-
But the Swiss case, none- ed. “We have to, in good
theless, sets a legal prec- mate change and the first the blow for those who lost Union ruled that Switzer- faith, implement and ex-
edent in the Council of decision confirming that Tuesday. land “had failed to comply ecute the judgment,” Alain
Europe’s 46 member states countries have an obliga- “The most important thing with its duties” to combat Chablais, who represented
against which future law- tion to protect people from is that the court has said climate change and meet the country at last year’s
suits will be judged. its effects, according to in the Swiss women’s case emissions targets. hearings, told The Associ-
“This is a turning point,” said Heri. She said it would open that governments must That, the court said, was a ated Press.
Corina Heri, an expert in cli- the door to more legal cut their emissions more to violation of the women’s Judge Siofra O’Leary, the
mate change litigation at challenges in the countries protect human rights,” said rights, noting that the Eu- court’s president, stressed
the University of Zurich. that are members of the 19-year-od Sofia Oliveira, ropean Convention on that it would be up to gov-
Although activists have Council of Europe, which one of the Portuguese Human Rights guarantees ernments to decide how to
had success with lawsuits in includes the 27 EU nations plaintiffs. “Their win is a win people “effective protec- approach climate change
domestic proceedings, this as well as many others from for us, too, and a win for ev- tion by the state authorities obligations and experts
was the first time an inter- Britain to Turkey. eryone!” The court which is from the serious adverse noted that was a limit of
national court ruled on cli- The Swiss ruling softened unrelated to the European effects of climate change the ruling.q

Simon Harris is installed as Ireland’s

new prime minister

By JILL LAWLESS parliament, confirmed Har- for reelection. “I commit to
Associated Press ris as taoiseach, or prime doing everything that I can
LONDON (AP) — Lawmaker minister, by a 88-69 vote. to honor the trust that you
Simon Harris was elected He was formally appointed have placed in me today,”
Ireland’s prime minister by to the post by President Mi- Harris said. “As taoiseach I
a vote in parliament Tues- chael D. Higgins in a cer- want to bring new ideas,
day, becoming at 37 the emony at the president’s a new energy and a new
country’s youngest-ever official residence in Dublin. empathy to public life.”
leader. Harris takes over Harris was first elected Varadkar was the previ-
as head of Ireland’s three- to parliament at 24 and ous youngest-ever premier
party coalition government has been nicknamed the when first elected at age The new Prime Minister of Ireland, Simon Harris gestures as he
from Leo Varadkar, who “TikTok taoiseach” pro- 38, as well as Ireland’s first is applauded by fellow lawmakers outside Leinster House, in
announced his surprise res- nounced TEA-shock be- openly gay prime minister. Dublin, Ireland, Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
ignation last month. Harris, cause of his fondness for Varadkar, whose mother Associated Press
who served as higher edu- communicating on social is Irish and father is Indian, Martin, the head of Fian- the “most fulfilling and re-
cation minister in Varad- media. He faces chal- was also Ireland’s first bira- na Fáil. Varadkar officially warding time” of his life.
kar’s government, was the lenges including a strained cial taoiseach. Varadkar, stepped down on Monday “But today is the beginning
only candidate to replace health service, soaring 45, has had two spells as when he handed in his let- of a new era for my party,
him as head of the center- housing costs and an exo- taoiseach between 2017 ter of resignation to the a new chapter in my life
right Fine Gael party. dus of Fine Gael lawmak- and 2020 and again since president. Varadkar told and a new phase for this
Lawmakers in the Dáil, the ers, more than 10 of whom December 2022 as part of the Dáil on Tuesday that his coalition government,” he
lower house of Ireland’s have said they will not run a job-share with Micheál time in politics had been said.q