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Climate protection: what can I do legally?

Switzerland has committed itself by law to emitting, on balance, no more greenhouse gases by 2050. These targets bind the state. As an individual, however, you can almost never enforce them in court, and there is no such thing as an action on behalf of the general public. What is effective is mainly the political route: voting in elections and referendums, initiatives and referendums, petitions, and statements in consultation procedures. In addition there is the right to environmental information and, for large construction projects, timely participation through organisations entitled to appeal. In 2024 the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of a Swiss climate association, but declared the individual women's complaints inadmissible.

Reviewed by a lawyer on 30 September 2026Official sources

Watch out

There is no such thing in Switzerland as an action brought on behalf of the general public. Anyone who demands that a federal authority refrain from an act, change it, or have it declared unlawful must be affected in their own rights, and noticeably so. This is exactly where older women failed who, together with their association, demanded more climate protection from the Confederation. In 2020 the Federal Supreme Court held that the women were not affected by warming any more than the rest of the population. Their request served a general concern and belonged in politics, not in court. So do not expect a court to take up a case just because you are worried about the climate.

VwVG · Art. 25aBGE 146 I 145, E. 4.4BGE 146 I 145, E. 5.5

In Switzerland itself, it is unclear whether an association can go to court over climate policy. In the interest of the environment, organisations may in principle only appeal where a federal act expressly allows it, for example environmental organisations in the case of large facilities requiring an environmental impact assessment. For general climate policy, no such rule exists. An association wanting to bring proceedings should therefore get advice from a professional early on.

VwVG · Art. 48USG · Art. 55

An action as an individual is conceivable only in rare exceptional cases. You must then be affected yourself and directly, markedly more so than the rest of the population. The Court in Strasbourg requires that you are very severely exposed to the effects of climate change and urgently need personal protection. The bar is deliberately set very high. For the older women in the KlimaSeniorinnen case, it was not enough: it was not shown that their health was critically endangered by heat and that this could not be mitigated through adaptation, for example in daily life or through state heat measures. In Switzerland, the route runs through an application to the responsible federal authority, which must issue a ruling on it, and then through the courts. Only then is a complaint in Strasbourg possible, and that within four months of the last Swiss decision. Get advice beforehand and gather medical records that document your particular vulnerability.

VwVG · Art. 25aBGE 146 I 145, E. 4.4EGMR Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz et autres c. Suisse, Nr. 53600/20 vom 9. April 2024EMRK · Art. 35

A federal consultation procedure lasts at least three months. This minimum period is extended over the summer, over Christmas and New Year, and over Easter. If a proposal is urgent, the period can exceptionally be shorter. What counts is the date given by the authority when it opens the consultation procedure. Submit your statement before that date.

VlG · Art. 7

For construction projects, timing is decisive. Applications are usually placed on public deposit or published, for example in the cantonal official gazette. Anyone who wants a say must lodge an objection within the time limit stated there. In proceedings under federal law, only someone who took part beforehand, or had no opportunity to do so, can appeal. For environmental organisations the law expressly states: anyone who did not take part in an objection procedure cannot appeal later. How long the objection period lasts depends on the procedure and is often set by cantonal law. What counts is the time limit stated in the publication. So inform an organisation already during the public deposit period, not only after the decision.

VwVG · Art. 48USG · Art. 55aUSG · Art. 55b

What to do

  1. Alone, you have little prospect of success in climate matters in court. Together, you often achieve more: support an association that campaigns for climate protection, or become a member. An association can give broader backing to a petition, submit a statement in a consultation procedure, and, if it meets the conditions, appeal. But you can also submit a petition or a statement in a consultation procedure on your own.

The law

The Climate and Innovation Act (KlG) commits the Confederation: by 2050, the effect of greenhouse gases from Switzerland should, on balance, be zero (net zero). There are interim targets for this, measured against 1990: on average over 2031 to 2040 at least 64 percent less, by 2040 at least 75 percent less, and on average over 2041 to 2050 at least 89 percent less. The CO2 Act requires emissions in 2030 to be at most half what they were in 1990. The Confederation and the cantons must work towards these targets within their areas of responsibility. Other laws too, for example on energy, spatial planning or transport, are to be designed and applied so that they contribute to the targets. Important: these targets are addressed to the state. None of these laws gives you your own right of action to enforce compliance with them.

KlG · Art. 3CO2-Gesetz · Art. 3KlG · Art. 11KlG · Art. 12

The association KlimaSeniorinnen then took the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. It ruled on 9 April 2024 that Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects private and family life, also includes an entitlement to effective protection by the state against the serious effects of climate change on life, health and well-being. Switzerland had violated this right, among other things because it had not quantified its permissible emissions, for example with a CO2 budget, and had missed its own earlier targets. In addition, the Swiss courts had not seriously examined the association's concern. That violated its right of access to a court. The Court, however, declared the complaints of the four individual women inadmissible. The judgment does not prescribe specific measures for Switzerland. Whether it implements the judgment is monitored by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. In August 2024 the Federal Council stated that Switzerland meets the climate-policy requirements of the judgment. You can find the current state of affairs on the Confederation's website (links below).

EGMR Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz et autres c. Suisse, Nr. 53600/20 vom 9. April 2024

Before the Court in Strasbourg, an association can bring a complaint in climate matters even if its members cannot clear the very high hurdle for individuals. The association must meet three conditions. First, it must be lawfully established in Switzerland, or entitled to bring proceedings here. Second, its statutes must show that it works specifically for the fundamental rights of its members or other affected persons, for example against the dangers of climate change. Third, it must be able to show that it genuinely speaks for people whose life, health or well-being is threatened by climate change. The Court looks, among other things, at the association's purpose, whether it operates without a profit motive, how large and active it is, and how openly it is run. An association can only go to Strasbourg once it has exhausted all Swiss legal remedies. After that, it has four months from the last Swiss decision.

EGMR Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz et autres c. Suisse, Nr. 53600/20 vom 9. April 2024EMRK · Art. 35

The Federal Supreme Court expressly refers climate concerns to the democratic route. If you hold Swiss citizenship and are at least 18 years old, you can take part in federal elections and votes, and sign or launch popular initiatives and referendums. Cantonal law governs who may vote in the canton and municipality. Regardless of voting rights, you may publicly express your opinion, join together with others, and submit petitions.

BV · Art. 34BV · Art. 136BGE 146 I 145, E. 4.3

Anyone may address a petition to an authority, that is, a request, a proposal or a criticism. You do not need voting rights for this. It must not cause you any disadvantage. A petition can go to the Confederation, a canton or a municipality, for example to a parliament or a government. Write your concern down clearly and sign it with your name and address; other people can co-sign. The Federal Constitution only requires the authority to take note of the petition. It does not give you a right to a reply or to your concern being acted on. Cantonal constitutions and parliamentary rules can provide for more.

BV · Art. 33

Before the Confederation adopts important acts, ordinances or treaties, it holds a consultation procedure. Any person and any organisation can take part and submit a statement, including on proposals concerning climate, energy or transport. The Climate Act requires the Federal Council to consult the circles concerned before it proposes measures for the coming periods to Parliament. You can find the current consultation procedures with all the documents on the Confederation's publication platform (link below). Cantons also hold consultation procedures; how is a matter for cantonal law.

VlG · Art. 4KlG · Art. 11

The authorities must inform the public about environmental protection and the state of the environment, and publish their surveys. The figures on Switzerland's greenhouse gases are provided by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in the greenhouse gas inventory (link below). If you need more, you may inspect official documents containing environmental information and request information about their content. For federal authorities, the Federal Act on Freedom of Information applies; for cantonal authorities, cantonal law applies. Describe as precisely as possible in your application which documents you are looking for.

USG · Art. 10eUSG · Art. 10gBGÖ · Art. 6

Against a decision on a specific project, for example a road, an airfield or a large facility, only someone who is especially affected by it, that is, markedly more so than the general public, and who has a legitimate interest, can appeal. As a rule these are people in the immediate vicinity. General concern for the climate is not enough. In 2026 the Federal Administrative Court held that private individuals can hardly rely on the Strasbourg climate judgment to fight a specific project. Anyone who merely points an authority to a problem does not thereby become a party to the proceedings.

VwVG · Art. 48BGG · Art. 89BVGer A-2870/2024 vom 31. März 2026, E. 22.2.3BGE 139 II 279, E. 2.3

For large facilities that could significantly burden the environment, an environmental impact assessment is required. Certain environmental organisations may appeal against decisions on such facilities without being personally affected. They must be active throughout Switzerland, pursue purely non-material purposes, and have had the relevant area of law in their statutes for at least ten years. Which organisations these are is set out in a list of the Federal Council. Decisions on such facilities are communicated to the organisations or officially published; where there is an objection procedure, the application itself is already published. Whether climate arguments can also be raised in a particular procedure depends on the project and the applicable law. If you consider a project problematic, inform one of these organisations early and pass on your observations.

USG · Art. 10aUSG · Art. 55USG · Art. 55aVBO · Art. 1

If you consider the conduct of a federal authority unlawful, you can report this to its supervisory authority at any time, if intervention is necessary in the public interest. This is called a supervisory complaint. You do not thereby become a party: you cannot demand that the supervisory authority take action, and you cannot challenge its decision. For cantonal and communal authorities, the rules of your canton apply.

VwVG · Art. 71BGE 139 II 279, E. 2.3

Advice

If you or your association are considering an application to an authority, an appeal, or a complaint in Strasbourg, get advice beforehand from a lawyer experienced in public law or human-rights matters. Such proceedings often take years, the hurdles are high, and costs can arise if you lose. First clarify whether the conditions are met and which time limits are running.

Help

An initial, free or low-cost legal consultation is offered in many cantons and cities by free legal advice centres. For construction projects, you can contact the organisations entitled to appeal; the list is in the annex to the ordinance SR 814.076 (link below). The cantonal environmental agency also advises private individuals on environmental questions. The Federal Office for the Environment provides specialist information on climate and greenhouse gases. How to address a petition to the Federal Council or the Federal Assembly is explained by the Federal Chancellery (link below).

USG · Art. 10e

Scope

What individuals and associations can do legally to make the Confederation and the cantons do more for climate protection: the statutory climate targets, the limits of legal action, the 2024 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, political participation, petitions, consultation procedures, environmental information, supervisory complaints, and participation in large construction projects.

Not covered: Disputes with neighbours (for example about heat pumps or fireplaces), claims for damages against private companies, criminal proceedings against climate activists, and subsidies for your own house. Cantonal procedures and time limits are described only in general terms; they follow the law of your canton.

Sources

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