An international court has, for the first time, ruled that a country violated human rights by not protecting people from the effects of climate change. A Swiss association representing more than 2,000 older women (a third of whom are over the age of 75) filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights saying that their government put them at heightened risk during heatwaves. The court decided that the European Convention on Human Rights “encompasses a right for individuals to effective protection by the State authorities from the serious adverse effects of climate change on their lives, health, well-being and quality of life.” Swiss authorities violated the Convention, the court says in its judgment, by failing to adequately limit greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels that are causing climate change.
The decision sets a precedent that could empower other plaintiffs seeking to hold their governments accountable for pollution that exacerbates all kinds of disasters — from heatwaves to fires, floods, and droughts. “We expect this ruling to influence climate action and climate litigation across Europe and far beyond.” Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) senior attorney Joie Chowdhury said in a statement.
The plaintiffs sought to hold officials legally accountable for meeting a goal set in the Paris climate accord, in which countries agreed to try to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial era. To reach that goal, global greenhouse gas emissions need to fall all the way down to net zero over the next couple of decades or so, according to research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
- O tribunal decidiu que um país violou os direitos humanos por não proteger as pessoas dos efeitos das mudanças climáticas.
- A decisão estabelece um precedente para responsabilizar os governos pela poluição que agrava todos os tipos de desastres relacionados ao clima.
- A ação climática é fundamental para proteger os direitos humanos e combater o aquecimento global.
#tecnologia #primeirapágina #dasAlteraçõesClimáticas #ambiente #Ciência #política #notícias