Joint media release by Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland and Greenpeace
Switzerland

Renowned British King’s Counsel join the legal team of Swiss
Climate Seniors

Zurich, November 22, 2022 - Next year the Grand Chamber of the European Court of
Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg will hold a public hearing on the complaint ofthe Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland and four individual plaintiffs. Aruling by the Court will have far-reaching consequences. In view of this, the ClimateSeniors have strengthened their team under the leadership of Swiss lawyer Cordelia
Bähr with two King’s Counsel from Great Britain: Jessica Simor and Marc Willers,
who both specialise in environmental law and human rights.
With their complaint against Switzerland at the European Court of Human Rights, the Senior
Women for Climate Protection Switzerland and the four individual plaintiffs hope to clarify thequestion of whether and to what extent Switzerland is violating human rights throughinsufficient climate protection measures.
The Climate Seniors are represented at the Court by an international team of lawyers led bySwiss lawyer Cordelia Bähr. The team includes Raphaël Mahaim (Switzerland), Marc Willers(United Kingdom), Martin Looser (Switzerland), Jessica Simor (United Kingdom), Richard

Harvey (Greenpeace International). The lawyers are currently working on the submission,
which has to be submitted to the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR on December 5.
Cordelia Bähr said: «I am very passionately committed because I am convinced that theClimate Seniors can bring about real change in Switzerland, but also on a global level. And
because I am convinced that the courts must and will play a decisive role in tackling theclimate crisis. This is all the more important because the consequences of global warming,
which Switzerland has helped to cause, not only violate the human rights of vulnerable
groups of people such as senior women, for whose assessment the judges are responsible,
but also because a stable climate is the basic prerequisite par excellence for the exercise ofhuman rights.»
Jessica Simor said: «It is a great honour and responsibility to join the legal teamrepresenting the Senior Women for Climate Protection; an extraordinary group of women
who are seeking help from the European Court of Human Rights, their own Government andcourts having failed them. Climate change is for many already a matter of life and death - inthis case, the Court will have to face that reality.»
Marc Willers said: «I am delighted to be joining the brilliant team of lawyers representing
the brave members of the Senior Women for Climate Protection in their case whichhighlights the disproportionate impact that climate change is having on senior women, notjust in Switzerland but globally. I hope that this case will inspire people in Europe and acrossthe world to take action to force their politicians to do everything in their power to tackle
dangerous climate change for the benefit of all generations.»
Martin Looser said: «Switzerland and a large majority of governments of other nations
have failed to take the problem of climate change seriously for decades, despite
overwhelming scientific evidence. Countless elderly women suffer particularly severely fromthe consequences of summer heat waves, which are occurring more frequently and withhigher intensity as a result of climate change. The case is about the consequences of thepolicy failure on fundamental human rights.»
Raphaël Mahaim said: «Climate change is the greatest current challenge of Mankind.
Thanks to the Senior Women for Climate Protection, the European Court of Human Rights
will be in a position to deliver a landmark ruling with potential effects not only in Switzerland
but also worldwide.»
Richard Harvey said: «Who would deny their parents the right to age in dignity? Who would
mortgage today their children’s right to life and to quality of life? Swiss judges say that’s nottheir problem. The Swiss government says leave it to politicians. But the Senior Women forClimate Protection say we can’t leave such issues to those who place profits over humanrights. Greenpeace is honoured to support them in asserting their rights to life and to qualityof life. The Grand Chamber asks them what measures States must take to protect theserights. The Climate Seniors’ answer must be heard around the world.»

Brief portraits of the lawyers
Cordelia Bähr has been working on the case of Senior Women for Climate Protection v.
Switzerland since the very beginning as a Zurich lawyer with a passion for climate science.
She advises her clients in environmental law and human rights law and brings over ten yearsof multi-faceted experience in climate law. She holds a degree in public law from the London
School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with a focus on human rights and theenvironment. Cordelia is also a board member of the Swiss Association for Environmental
Law; a Co-founder and editor of the information platform Climate & Law; and Swiss National
Rapporteur of the Climate Change Litigation Initiative. She regularly publishes in her fields ofexpertise.
Jessica Simor KC specialises in Environmental, Energy, Administrative, EU and humanrights law. She recently acted for ClientEarth in its successful challenge to the UK’s Net Zero
strategy and for Friends of the Earth in its challenge to the UK Government’s decision toprovide $1.15bn finance to Total to develop a vast LNG Project in Mozambique. She
represents a wide range of clients, including NGOs, companies, regulators (Ofgem, ORR.
Ofsted) and Governments as well as private individuals. She worked in the Environment
Directorate of the European Commission in 1993, in the ECHR from 1995-1997, for the
Human Rights Ombudsman in Sarajevo in 1997, is the original author of Human Rights
Practice (Sweet and Maxwell), a signatory to the Oslo Principles, was one of the three UK
nominees for Judge in the Strasbourg Court in 2016 and is a Visiting Professor or law at LSEand Goldsmiths. She practises from London.
Marc Willers KC is a Barrister at Garden Court Chambers and is also a member of the Irish
Bar. Marc specialises in planning and environmental law; public and administrative law; civilliberties; human rights and discrimination; Gypsy, Traveller, and Roma law. Marc regularly
acts for NGOs and campaigners in challenges to environmental legislation, policy anddecisions relating to development which has an impact on the environment. He isrecommended by the 2022 Chambers UK Bar Guide and Legal 500 for his work in planninglaw, environmental law, civil liberties and human rights.
Martin Looser is attorney-at-law and partner at the Zurich law firm «ettlersuter», where hespecialises in Swiss public law. Martins’ work focuses on environmental, planning andexpropriation law as well as animal protection law, disability law and human rights issues.
Until 2020 he was lecturer at ETH Zurich for Swiss environmental law. He is mainly active inlitigation and often represents non-governmental organisations and individuals in thesefields. In addition, he acts as a legal expert on environmental law issues and advises publicadministration, private companies and individuals on these matters.
Raphaël Mahaim is a swiss attorney-at-law, Partner in the law firm r&associés in Lausannesince 2017. He studied both law and environmental sciences at the University of Lausanne(graduation in 2007) and then wrote a PHD in environmental law at the University of Fribourg(graduation in 2014). He specialises in environmental law, human rights and criminal law.
Parallel to his career as an attorney, Raphaël Mahaim has been a deputy to the Parliamentof the Canton of Vaud for almost 15 years (2007-2021) for the Green Party. He was electedinto the Swiss Parliament (National Council) in February 2022 and is a member of its legal
affairs committee. Raphaël Mahaim also teaches constitutional and environmental law at theUniversity of Lausanne and at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western
Switzerland.
Richard Harvey is a lawyer in Greenpeace International’s Legal Unit. He advises campaigns,
principally on issues related to Climate Justice, including strategic litigation aimed at holding
governments and corporations to account for violating the right to a healthy environment. Heis a barrister (England & Wales, since 1971); practised at the New York Bar (1982-2000);
and was lead counsel at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (20072014). Throughout his career he has focused on major human rights litigation, environmental
justice, domestic and international criminal law, and post-conflict resolution. He is a memberof Garden Court Chambers, London.
Pictures of the international team of lawyers: https://www.klimaseniorinnen.ch/medien/Contacts
Cordelia Bähr, Lawyer of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland:baehr@ettwein.ch, +41 78 801 70 34
Rosmarie Wydler-Wälti, co-president of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland:rosmariewydler@sunrise.ch, +41 61 302 96 35 (for interviews in German)
Anne Mahrer, co-president of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland:anne.mahrer@bluewin.ch, +41 79 249 72 17 (for interviews in French)
Pia Hollenstein, member of the board of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland:
mail@piahollenstein.ch, +41 79 740 04 50 (for interviews in English)
Norma Bargetzi, member of the board of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland:normaba@bluewin.ch, +41 79 352 98 89 (for interviews in Italian)Georg Klingler, Project Coordinator and Climate Campaigner Greenpeace Switzerland:
gklingle@greenpeace.org, +41 79 785 07 38

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