Does a country’s failure to act on climate change infringe citizens’ human rights? A recent court case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said it does.

By holding the Swiss government accountable for failing to do more to limit climate change, the ruling might have significant implications for legislators and organizations in other countries across the European Union.

Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine...