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European Court of Human Rights Ruling Highlights Climate Health Risks for Older Women During Heatwaves

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has made a landmark ruling in favour of a group of Swiss senior women, stating that insufficient climate protection measures violate their right to life and private and family life. This ruling, the first successful climate lawsuit at the ECtHR, establishes climate protection as a matter of human rights.

The ruling underscores the urgency of addressing climate health, particularly in light of extreme weather conditions like heatwaves. In Germany, during heatwaves, more women than men die. The ECtHR specifically highlighted the health risks faced by older women from stronger and longer-lasting heatwaves.

The ruling emphasizes the need for future-proof workplaces that consider the impacts of extreme weather conditions on employees' health. It also underscores the need for comprehensive and effective climate protection measures to protect the health of vulnerable groups, particularly older women.

Successfully managing the health risks arising from the climate crisis requires gender-sensitive and gender-equitable communication, education, prevention, planning, and implementation of protective measures. The Action Plan Climate Health NRW, a regional initiative, includes gender-sensitive actions to specifically address health risks from extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, for vulnerable groups like women and the elderly.

The plan collects gender-disaggregated data on the impact of climate change, including heatwaves, on health outcomes to identify differential vulnerabilities and target interventions effectively. It ensures meaningful consultation and participation of women, elderly, and other vulnerable groups in climate-health decision-making and planning processes.

The plan also implements targeted communication and early warning systems that consider gender and age-specific health vulnerabilities, improving access to timely information for women and older adults. It designs tailored health adaptation measures, such as heat action plans, that address the specific physiological and social vulnerabilities of women and elderly populations, including their roles as caregivers and potential mobility constraints.

The plan strengthens community-based support networks prioritizing marginalized groups to enhance resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of extreme heat and related health risks. These approaches align with the broader emphasis promoted by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and gender-responsive climate frameworks.

It's crucial to consider the impacts of extreme weather conditions on employees' health to protect them and ensure future-proof workplaces. Heatwaves increase the risk of premature birth, especially towards the end of pregnancy. People with pre-existing conditions, those taking medication, pregnant women, infants, children, those with limited socio-economic resources and social isolation, individuals with regular alcohol or drug consumption, and those who work outdoors or engage in intense physical activity are also vulnerable during heatwaves.

The Action Plan Climate Health NRW should be guided by the ECtHR ruling’s emphasis on the importance of addressing climate health. The ruling serves as a precedent for future climate-related human rights cases. It is significant for NRW, as it emphasizes the need for action in addressing climate health.

[1] Inter-American Court of Human Rights. (2018). Precautionary Measures in the Face of Climate Change. Series A No. 207. Available at: https://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/default-source/caso-207-precautionary-measures-face-climate-change.pdf

[3] United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2018). Gender Action Plan. Available at: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/Gender%20Action%20Plan%202018-2023.pdf

[4] World Health Organization. (2019). Gender and Climate Change: Health and Well-being. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240016047

1. The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has established climate protection as a matter of human rights, with a specific focus on the health risks faced by older women during extreme weather conditions like heatwaves.
2. The Action Plan Climate Health NRW, in addressing health risks from extreme weather events, should be guided by the ECtHR ruling's emphasis on the importance of gender-sensitive and gender-equitable strategies, such as collecting and analyzing gender-disaggregated data, enhancing community-based support networks, and implementing targeted communication and early warning systems.
3. In line with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Gender Action Plan, and the World Health Organization's focus on health and well-being, it is crucial to consider the varying impacts of climate change and extreme weather events like heatwaves on women's health, mental health, and women's health in particular, as well as other vulnerable groups.

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