The Know Daily - Wednesday 10 April 2024

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A family-owned farm in Wiltshire has begun its transformation into the biggest grassland in southern England, as it attempts to restore declining wildlife through rewilding. Endangered birds such as cuckoos will be encouraged to thrive - and extinct species could even make a return in the future. 

🌎 Climate litigation

A group of Swiss women yesterday won the first ever climate case victory in the European Court of Human Rights, setting a precedent for future climate lawsuits.

What did the group claim? 
The case was brought by a group of around 2,000 women - mostly in their seventies - called KlimaSeniorinnen, or Swiss Elders for Climate Protection. They argued that their age and gender made them particularly vulnerable to the effects of heatwaves linked to climate change, and that not enough had been done to protect them.

And the judges agreed?
Yep. Europe’s top human rights court ruled that Switzerland had “failed to comply” with its duties concerning climate change and that it had violated the right to respect for private and family life. Judges also found that there had been “critical gaps” in the country’s policies to tackle climate change, reported the BBC.

Two other climate-related cases - one of which was brought by six Portuguese young people - were yesterday thrown out by the court on procedural grounds. 

Why is this victory such a big deal? 
It’s the first time the top court has ruled on global warming - and it’s expected to have “international ripple effects”, said Reuters. Although the case was brought against the Swiss government, the judges’ decision could end up influencing law across all 46 countries that are signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights - and this includes the UK. 

The ruling is also likely to “embolden” more communities to bring climate cases against governments, added Reuters. Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg - who joined activists celebrating outside the court in Strasbourg - echoed this sentiment, saying it is “only the beginning” of climate litigation.