A “historic” first: the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is considering on Wednesday two appeals against Switzerland and France by citizens who accuse the two countries of climate inaction.

A pensioners’ organization has sued Bern over the effects of climate change on their health, while the former mayor of a French city threatened by rising sea levels has sued Paris.

This is the first time the ECtHR has heard cases dealing with the effects of global warming, as appeals are mounting in Europe to force states to act to tackle climate change.

In 2019, the Dutch Supreme Court had asked the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 2020, following an appeal by an environmental organization.

At the end of 2021, the French state was condemned by a Paris court after the appeal of four non-governmental organizations, which were supported by their petition of more than 2.3 million citizens.

The ECtHR will begin considering the Swiss appeal at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by the French one at 2:15 p.m. His decision is expected in several months.

“The stakes are extremely high,” said Corinne Lepage, one of the lawyers for Damien Carem, the former mayor of Grand Sid, in northern France.

“If the European court recognizes that climate inaction violates the rights of individuals to life and a normal family life, this will apply to all the states of the Council of Europe and possibly all the states of the world,” he noted.

The ECtHR will examine another case after the summer, after the appeal of young Portuguese against their country and 32 other countries for their inaction in the face of global warming.