European court decision shows that a safe climate is a human right, former UN rights chief says

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

OXFORD, England (AP) — Former Ireland President Mary Robinson says having a safe climate is becoming more of a human right globally with this week’s European court decision, something warming-hit residents of the Global South long knew. In an AP interview, Robinson, who was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, praised Tuesday’s mixed decision as precedent-setting and change-triggering. The European Court of Human Rights has sided with Swiss senior women saying their government wasn’t doing enough to protect them from climate shocks, but dismissed similar complaints from Portuguese youth and France’s mayor on technical grounds. Robinson calls it complete climate justice.