Switzerland/ More than 2,000 Swiss women, their ages averaging in the low 70s, are suing their country’s government, arguing that Switzerland has violated their basic human rights by not doing enough to respond to climate change.
The lawsuit before the European Court of Human Rights cites research showing older people are less able to regulate their body temperatures and are more likely to die in heat waves. Two Swiss courts had dismissed the lawsuit.
Late last month, as the European court took up the case, a crowd of silver-haired women, who call themselves the Association of Swiss Senior Women for Climate Protection, gathered outside the courthouse in Strasbourg, France, waving flowers, blowing bubbles, and ringing cowbells. When I saw a picture of them, I smiled in recognition. That is the typical way we grandmothers act to protect our ecosystem, with joy, pizazz, and kindness. By grandmothers, I mean all those older women who care about others.
I am in a group called Guardians of the Aquifer. We formed 13 years ago to stop the Keystone XL pipeline from coming through Nebraska, our home, and much to our surprise, the company canceled the project in 2021. Since then, we have undertaken various projects including trying, though failing, to stop the construction of a huge chicken processing plant because of its risks for disease and pollution. We’ve worked for clean energy, better environmental legislation, and the election of candidates who will govern in ways that ameliorate climate change. Most of our members are older women.
