Europe's top human rights court recognizes the duty of nations to shield their citizens from climate change's harms, highlighted by a landmark win for Swiss senior women but dismisses a youth-led case on emission reductions.

Molly Quell and Raf Casert report for the Associated Press.

In short:

• The European Court of Human Rights rules member countries must protect citizens from climate change, setting a legal precedent.
• The court's decision supports over 2,000 Swiss women in their climate protection efforts, while other plaintiffs faced defeat.
• This ruling marks the first international court decision on climate change, potentially paving the way for future legal challenges.

Key quote:

“This is a turning point.”

— Corina Heri, an expert in climate change litigation at the University of Zurich

Why this matters:

The court's judgment underscores the increasing legal acknowledgment of climate change as a critical human rights issue and further signals a growing trend toward intergenerational environmental coalitions and their effectiveness.