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pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" 'n jones, and you are watching "the context" onbc news. >> states have the duty to adopt and apply practice and regulations and measures capable of mitigating the existing and potentially irreversible future effects of climate change. >> it is absolutely incredible what happened today that we got actually -- we won. not just won, we won, we won. >> climate action is not some thing that we must morally do but something that we must do legally. european states are legally required ttake climate action to protect citizens. >> this was certainly promise a

stronger legal pathway to achieving climate justice. ♪ lewis: for the first time, climate change campaigners when their case at the european court of human rights. we will look at what impact it could have. also, foreign secretary david cameron is in the u.s. trying to get more money for the war in ukraine. what difference can he make? more security around the champions league game going on right now after threats from islamic state groups supporting media. and even when she loses, she wins. record-breaking viewing figures for caitlin clark, the women's college basketball star. welcome to the program. we start with climate change,

potentially a pivotal moment. a group of swiss women have won their first ever climate case victory in the european court of human rights. here they are. the court found switzerland violated have violated them of their human rights by not taking sufficient action on climate change. switzerland's efforts were called woefully inadequate. this ruling includes the law in 46 other european countries including the u.k. it comes after last month was officially declared the warmest march on record. we will get onto that in a moment. let's start with this report from our climate editor justin donald. >> the swiss women arrived at the european court ready to fight. >> there has been a violation of article eight of the convention. >> and they won, persuading the judges that switzerland's failure to do enough to cut planet warming in missions could create heat waves that could threaten the lives of older people.

>> i am so, well, shocked, positively shocked. so happy to contribute to the future, to a better future for our children. >> today's ruling is not open to challenge. experts say it sets an important precedent and will set the legal case for european countries including the u.k.. a decision comes as new figures show this march was 1.68 degrees celsius above preindustrial levels and the hottest march on record globally. sea surface temperatures were even more dramatic at 21.07 celsius in march, the highest recorded at any time. and just look at the effect it is having on some coral reefs. coral polyps, the animals that build reefs, expel the microorganisms that process sunlight into energy within them

when they are stressed by heat. it makes them bleach, turned white, and they can die as a result. australian and u.s. scientists say a mass bleaching event has already begun in the southern hemisphere. the fear is this will almost certainly develop to affect coral reefs worldwide. but there are efforts to address the issue, and in some unexpected places. i like the university of derby. scientists here persuaded coral to spawn in the laborde torrey for the first time -- they say.y, for the first time now they are working on a world leading effort to develop heat resistant corals. >> this is just a small scale behind us and proof of concept, but you can expand this operation to acres of sites, any country you want to do, and it's really about generating those hundreds of thousands of corals that are thermally tolerant,

pushing them back out onto the reefs in a restoration project. >> the good news is the extreme heat should you to ease back in coming months. a natural weather event known as el niño has helped to push up global temperatures in the last 10 months. this is how it works. normally the trade winds blow from east to west across the tropical pacific, sending warm surface water to asia and drawing up deeper, cooler water here on the coast of south america. with el niño, the winds weaken or reverse, driving in the warm water to the coast of south america and delivering extra heat to the atmosphere. the current el niño began in june and has only just begun to weaken. if global temperatures don't begin to fall and the current high sea temperatures suggest they might not then some scientists fear we could have entered a new phase of more rapid climate change.

lewis: we will speak now to sam hunter jones, senior lawyer, a global environmental law charity. thank you for coming on the program. what is your reaction to this ruling? sam: this really is a landmark decision as your coverage was explaining. this is the first time the european court of human rights has established that climate change can impact the rights of individuals like the swiss claimants in this decision. because this judgment will be binding on the various signatory states, the countries that signed off at the convention, we can expect to have a real influence and impact in the kinds of cases that are called across the continent and also more widely. lewis: we will come to those impacts in a second. just want to get your sense of, was this expected in any way?

sam: you have seen in the last few years a number of cases at the national level. in the netherlands, for example, a case against the dutch government, also on human rights grounds, the same thing happening in france, belgium, other countries. in some ways, this is a continuation of an existing trend, but it is new that europe's most authoritative human rights court has declared this decision, human rights principles do bind when it comes to climate change. lewis: when you're sitting in parliament or a part of your government in european countries, what difference does it make to you in your decision-making? sam: there is already pressure on climate change policy but this helps to clarify and confirm the extent of state obligations when it comes to the law, in particular human rights.

i think it will make ministers sit up and take notice, this decision, but in some ways it is just building on the existing case law, pressure that is already out there. lewis: are you expecting more cases like this? sam: there is a pipeline of cases happening across the continent, a number of countries. yes, this case is likely to bring further cases, clarifying obligations, could unlock new arguments that could add if you're the weigh -- further weight to existing ones. lewis: thank you for coming on the program. looking at you as-u.k. diplomacy because foreign secretary david cameron is the latest to make the trip to washington. a few hours ago he met u.s. secretary of state antony blinken here. talks focused on the two major conflicts, stability in the

middle east and the war in ukraine. republican lawmakers have been holding up a proposed $60 billion military aid package for ukraine for months. republican house speaker mike johnson has not let the ukraine eight issue be debated in the house of representatives as yet. lord karen said it was not for fallen -- foreign politician to tell lawmakers what to do, but he urged congress to see the funding released. >> i think it is absolutely in the interest of u.s. security that putin fails in his illegal invasion. it is good for u.s. jobs that we continue to back ukraine with the weapons that they need. i think in terms of how the united states, united kingdom, as allies are seen around the world, there will be people in tehran, pyongyang, beijing looking at how we stand by our allies, how we help them, how we stop this illegal and unprovoked

aggression, and working out whether were committed, prepared to see it through. lewis: mr. blinken also talked about ways to prevent the transfer of weapons to russia particularly from china and north korea. >> this is an ongoing challenge. we see weapons, we also see technology to support the defense industrial base in russia coming from north korea, iran, china. this is an area of particular concern for not only the united states and united kingdom but many of our allies and partners in europe. lewis: we are speaking to our state department correspondent tom bateman. what should we take away from that press conference? tom: the most significant bit of news was an answer that lord cameron gave to an -- a question i asked him about the growing pressure on the u.k. government to halt arms sales to israel

around the issue of whether or not israel have been deemed by the u.k. to be in breach of international humanitarian law in gaza. lord cameron said on the eighth of march that he would receive legal advice within days about that issue, but here we are a month later and there is still no announcement. i asked him that question, what did the u.k. government deem is international humanitarian law? he confirmed in his answer that the u.k. would continue to supply weapons to israel. therefore, a review had taken place. my understanding is these are fairly broad, not just legal reviews, but also policy-based reviews, and under that the u.k. would continue to sell what is around 835 million pound a year trade in -- a 35 million pound a year trade in weapons. he also said they would continue to review it.

that was there, too, but that was a significant moment in that news briefing. lewis: thank you, tom, or that. we will take a look at the issue of ukraine. -- for that. we can speak to a senior fellow at the atlantic council who is in odessa, ukraine. thanks for coming on the program. >> good to be with you. lewis: let's talk about the issue of politicians going from one country to another, saying we cannot tell you what to do, but you ought to do this. lord cameron expressing his support for ukraine, urging the u.s. to do the se. how do you find that diplomatic balance? >> very entertaining. lord cameron was being very tightlipped about his trip to florida but i am quite sure, i would bet money on it that he told mr. trump exactly what is going to happen if that $60 billion in aid, which is being

blocked his republicans, will not reach ukraine. i noticed that both ministers made the point that a lot of this money that is earmarked for ukraine will not be loaded onto pallets and airlifted to ukraine. itill actually stay in the united states and create jobs. that is the message of the american public needs to hear. the other quick thing that came out, i noticed lord cameron was almost ahead of his u.s. counterpart, mr. blinken, in terms of his conviction, passion, in terms of the argument made for aid to ukraine. it is almost at the americans were hedging about it, but lord cameron's brilliant answer, if this more does not stop, if this aid is not delivered, putin will go further and the cost will be greater for everybody. lewis: the potential hesitancy, yes, diplomatic politics at play, party politics at play. is it simple geography as well? hey countries seen far away -- a

country scene as far away? >> it is now the united kingdom and europe that will take the lead on the so-called raine file, in terms of helping ukraine, for example, bolster their domestic production of ammunition. the other thing that came through, lord cameron rightly tiptoed through everything because it is a complicated political scene in the united states right now, where the man who has basic control over the votes, speaker johnson, i think he does support ukraine. he has the votes to make that bill pass. i think he knows that the u.s. public support this. but he is prioritizing his own political future over everything else. he wants to remain important in the trump wing of the republican party. what happens if it continues along this path, people will see him as a man who could not summon the political courage to

do the right thing, and hence, this war will continue to go on for a lot longer than it has to. lewis: what do you think the implicatio would be for ukraine if trump won the presidency? >> absolutely horrible. he views himself as the master of the art of the deal. he will try to bring it to resolution within 24 hours. leaked conversations that he has had, most of us believe that he will give into territorial concessions. crea will remain in russian hands. the donbas, areas that russia has seized, including that land bridge between the russian mainland and the western part of ukraine. he will probably give the signals to mr. putin that he can go even further. there is a lot of nervousness, i have to tell you here in odesa. we have had air raid alarms most of the day and night, missiles coming this way. it is not going the right way. lewis: i want to briefly expand

on exactly that. i want to highlight that is exactly where you are, ask what life is like, how it is going right now. >> a couple things. i am very close to the port. these strikes tend to target electrical infrastructure. if there is no power, there is no port working, no grain going to world markets. the other thing on the other side of the country in kharkiv, it is hell on earth, being bombed relentlessly. it looks like the russians are on a long campaign to turn it into a gray zone, possibly even encircle it. veryad news coming out ofkharkiv as well. lewis: we appreciate your time, thank you. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. ♪

lewis: this is bbc news.

let's take a look at the situation in gaza. nine countries including the u.k. had taken part in the largest international aid airdrop in a single day into gaza. it is to help provide supplies at the end of the holy month of ramadan. 14 aircraft delivered food, water, and baby formula. >> it is an airbase in jordan, piles a few minutes hearing aid, stacked into individual pallets, adorned with their own parachute, all of it down for gaza -- bound for gaza. a special delivery to mark the end of ramadan. inside, pilots and crews from nine nations are being briefed on the operation. safety a key concern in the small airspace over gaza. outside the raf is loaded, each

pallet containing flour, rice, sugar, beans, the basics for a meal. this, the raf's sixth drop so far. >> every little bit helps. i am quite proud and privileged to be involved in these missions. >> but is it enough, will it meet the needs of the people in gaza? the aircraft carried 12 of these pallets. each of them are about a ton. that means this entire payload is worth about one truck crossing a border on the ground. >> the aircrews here insist that joomla! tivoli the air drops are beginning to have an impact -- cumulatively the air drops are begin to have an impact. >> we are continually delivering aid. the people of gaza grateful for the efforts that we are going through. we will keep delivering until we

cannot give them anymore. >> we fly the short distance to gaza and then we over the drop zone. the pilots are satisfied that no one is below and the drops begin. >> these drops are expensive and inadequate. but we are told they are better than nothing and there are making a difference. 12 boxes out, all on target on the northern shore. these airdrop can be dangerous. people have been crushed in the stampede to get to the pallets, but there is little that can be done from the air. today, the skies over gaza were filled with parachutes. israel said more aid trucks are getting through, but how many is not clear. this aid from the air will not fill the gap but the aircrews involved hope and believe that it is making a difference to so many facing famine on the ground.

lewis: muslims in the region are preparing to mark id al-fitr, one of the biggest celebrations on the islamic calendar, marking the end of the holy month of ramadan, a time of fasting and reflection. joining us now is the director of the palestinian association of foreign empowerment and local development. thank you for coming on the program. >> thank you for having me on. lewis: given all that is going on, how are people marking this time? >> actually, this time is actually quite difficult time for palestinians. most of the palestinian families lost the income since six months. 170,000 who used to work inside israel, lost their income. they were not able to provide

for their families for more than six months. there is also around 120,000 civil servants who didn't receive their full salaries for two consecutive years. this situation actually stems from the israel officials not transferring the tax money for palestinian authorities. also there are lots of, many difficulties actually, the israelis enforced on the ground after the seventh of october. i wanted to shed light on the material, i would say obstacles, but other materials that block palestinians from enjoying id al-fitr.

in our deep culture, if you are palestinian, -- you are not allowed to open your tv for three days, three consecutive days. imagine the situation with 35,000 palestinians who have been killed in gaza, 80,000 injured, tens of thousands of families displaced from their homes. the situation in the west bank is horrific. all palestinian cities, camps, villages are totally isolated from the others. all the roads are closed. there are huge amounts of measures, hazards, risks that take place every single day of the palestinians. lewis: thank you very much for

coming on the program and talking us through it. thank you. next to the football champions league matches happening right now. security has been increased after threats were made online. a media outlet supporting the islamic state group published threats against stadiums hosting the quarterfinal ties including the emirates in london, where arsenal are taking on bayern munich. >> this was incitement to attacks by one of the pro-islamic state media channels. essentially encouraging people to go and attack the four places where champions league ties are taking place tonight and tomorrow. madrid tonight, tomorrow, the game here at the emirates between arsenal and bayern munich, and the game in paris tomorrow. normally police would not comment on this propaganda, they feel they would just fueled the propaganda. but after the spanish and french interior ministry said they were

both stepping up security at the games in madrid and paris, police here in london but they ought to say something. they said security here will be robust tonight. i don't get the impression that it will be significantly higher than usual. there is a bit of an armed police presence tonight which is slightly unusual but i don't think it is a significantly increased security operation. what they want people to do is to go on being aware, as they always are in the u.k. at large venues, to make sure there is not anything unusual and to let police know, but not worrying about any specific threat. although there are these incitement to attack, there is no intelligence that and attack will take place. lewis: as for the sport going on inside that stadium behind him, arsenal and bayern munich, 1-1 in that match. the other game, real are 2-1 up

on city. all the details coming up. i am lewis vaughan jones. this is bbc news. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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