"The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is a scandal. Ideology and denial of reality clearly prevail in European courts. The task of the courts is to establish the law, not to engage in politics. Moreover, the judges in Strasbourg did not even take into account the fact that Switzerland is a model country for reducing CO2 emissions. UDC strongly condemns this interference by foreign judges and demands Switzerland's withdrawal from the Council of Europe," the party's release said on Tuesday.
A group of four women, along with the Swiss organization Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz, filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), arguing that Switzerland's authorities are failing to take adequate steps to mitigate the effects of climate change and the resulting impact of global warming on their well-being, living conditions, and health.
On Tuesday, the ECHR found Switzerland in violation for its inaction on climate change in the first ruling of its kind. The court ruled that "the Swiss Confederation had failed to comply with its duties ... under the Convention concerning climate change" in terms of implementing the relevant domestic regulatory framework, including limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
The court ruled that there had been violations of the European Convention on Human Rights, including under Article 8 — a right to a state's effective protection from the serious adverse effects of climate change on lives, health, well-being and quality of life. However, the court ruled that four women did not fulfill the victim-status criteria and declared their complaints inadmissible.
The court also ruled that Bern was to pay the association 80,000 euros (nearly $87,000) in respect of costs and expenses, the ruling said.