European Court of Human Rights

KlimaSeniorinnen, a group of more than 2,000 Swiss women mostly in their 70s, just won a landmark climate case at the European Court of Human Rights after nine years of pursuing what most observers considered a long shot. The court ruled that Switzerland’s inadequate climate policies violated their right to private and family life, marking the first time it has ever ruled on global warming. Because the court’s decisions shape law across 46 member states, the ruling opens a powerful new path for climate cases everywhere. As member Elisabeth Stern, 76, put it, they did this not for themselves but for their children and grandchildren — and proved that ordinary citizens can hold governments legally accountable for climate inaction.