Rosmarie Wydler-Wälti

Rosmarie Wydler-Wälti (born 19 March 1950) is a Swiss environmentalist from Basel. In April 2024, as co-president of the Swiss organization Klimaseniorinnen (Senior Women for Climate Protection) she succeeded in winning a case in the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that Switzerland had failed to meet emission reduction targets in the face of increasing heatwaves. As a result, although the Swiss parliament later rejected the ruling, she was included on the BBC's 2024 list of 100 most inspiring and influential women.

Early life Born on 19 March 1950 in Basel, Rosmarie Wydler-Wälti was raised in a middle-class district near the River Birs. She met her future husband, the councillor Christoph Wydler, in the choir at her local church. When 23, she became pregnant while working as a kindergarten teacher and spent the next 12 years raising her four children. Surprised at the outcome, Wydler-Wälti commented: "We keep asking our lawyers, 'Is that right?' And they tell us, 'It’s the most you could have had. The biggest victory possible'".

Although the lower house of the Swiss parliament voted on 12 June to disregard the ruling, the BBC concluded that "the case set a new precedent for climate litigation".