How 2,400 Swiss women offer hope in the fight against global heating

This week we learned that March 2024 was the hottest March in recorded history, and the 10th month in a row to break warming records. It’s the latest outrageous statistic on the advance of the climate crisis. So what can journalism do? At the Guardian we want to use our global platform to bring readers stories about the extent of this emergency, as well as things we can do to mitigate against it, such as our story this week about the potentially huge impact of swapping eating red meat for herring, sardines and anchovies.

A group of 2,400 older Swiss women have used a powerfully direct approach to confronting the crisis. They took Switzerland to the European court of human rights, claiming that, by missing its climate targets, Switzerland was putting them more at risk of dying in a heatwave. On Tuesday, the KlimaSeniorinnen won their landmark case and raised pressure on other governments to act more quickly. The Guardian’s European environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, discussed the precedent-setting case in detail with Ian Sample on our Science Weekly podcast.

And governments do need to act more quickly, as the rest of our coverage of the climate emergency this week proved. Robin McKie, science editor of the Observer, our Sunday newspaper, covered news of a leap in temperature in the Antarctic in 2022 that was so dramatic that a scientist there called it “mind-boggling”. Meanwhile, Guardian Australia’s Sharlotte Thou and Adam Morton wrote about further dramatic bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, including on species of coral previously resistant to the problem. In Germany, Sirin Kale reported from the Ahr valley, an area used to high waters but one that is finding itself unprepared for extreme flooding that’s been exacerbated by warming temperatures.

Our environment coverage is wide and varied, from Guardian US’s work exposing the dangers of forever chemicals, or PFAS, to our recent invertebrate of the year competition; and in fact the climate crisis is a thread that runs throughout all strands of our journalism. We’ll continue to be at the forefront of helping readers around the world understand, and confront, the most important issue of our age.

See you next week.

As the Israel-Gaza war reached a grim six-month milestone, relatives of some of the many thousands of people who have gone missing in Gaza since 7 October spoke of their anguish in a story by Jason Burke and Malak A Tantesh. The pair also spoke to some of the estimated 1 million displaced Palestinians in Rafah attempting to celebrate the end of Ramadan and mark Eid al-Fitr, but with little to be festive about amid grief, hunger and danger. Elsewhere, Raja Shehadeh wrote about his fears for Palestine’s future, Jonathan Freedland lamented Benjamin Netanyahu’s lethal failures, and Nesrine Malik considered the waning support of Israel’s allies as the horror in Gaza continued.

With India’s marathon election looming, Hannah Ellis-Petersen examined the erosion of democracy and crackdown on opposition under Narendra Modi. Hannah, along with Aakash Hassan and Shah Meer Baloch, also produced a powerful exclusive on claims of assassinations carried out by India in Pakistan that was the result of months of dogged reporting.

A scandal sitting in plain sight: that’s how our UK social policy editor, Patrick Butler, described the ordeal of carers in the UK prosecuted and forced to repay thousands of pounds for what in many cases amounted to innocent mistakes over the claiming of an £81.90-a-week allowance. Our exposé this week, from Patrick and Josh Halliday, shone a light on a growing scandal, with a particular focus on the torment endured by individuals dragged through the courts while trying to care for sick and struggling loved ones. On Friday’s Today in Focus, Helen Pidd spoke to carer George Henderson, who was convicted of fraud and forced to pay back more than £19,000 after wrongly ticking a box while filling in a form.

There was shocking news from the US, where Arizona’s supreme court reinstated a near-total abortion ban law from 1864. It was a ruling that could make the state one of the biggest battlefields in the 2024 electoral fight. Margaret Sullivan wrote that the ruling was a harbinger for the future of US abortion rights under a second Trump presidency, while Carter Sherman and Lauren Gambino captured the surprising reaction of state Republicans who denounced the decision.

Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, interrogated a speech made by leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton, after he compared the 1996 mass murder of 35 people at Port Arthur to a pro-Palestine protest at the Sydney Opera House, a comment which drew the ire of many in his own party.

In a hopeful and inspiring feature, Dick Wittenberg told us incredible stories of reconciliation between Rwandan survivors and perpetrators of genocide, featuring beautiful portraits by Jan Banning.

In an excellent Today in Focus two-part series, Annie Kelly spoke to Sosa Henkoma about his extraordinary life, from being a victim of grooming by multiple gangs and ending up in hospital, prison and safe houses, to starting a new life as a father and educator working with people who have experienced child criminal exploitation.

In England, a major new report said that thousands of vulnerable children questioning their gender identity have been let down by the health service. We looked at its key findings, interviewed its author, Dr Hilary Cass, and took in views from young trans people and their families.

From Monty Python to his acclaimed travel series, Michael Palin has had a fascinating career – but did he expect the Simon Hattenstone-ish inquisition? Palin talked movingly to Simon about his experience of grief after the death of his wife, Helen, after 57 years of marriage.

After nearly quarter of a century of beaming misanthropy, Larry David brought an end to Curb Your Enthusiasm with a brilliant do-over of the much-maligned Seinfeld finale. Stuart Heritage reviewed a final episode he called pret-tay, pret-tay “perfect”.

One more thing … I had a few days off over Easter and read a fantastic memoir, Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets, by the Canadian writer Kyo Maclear. It’s a beautifully written and emotionally generous book about the writer’s discovery, after her father’s death, that he was not in fact her father, and her attempts to get to the truth with her mother, whose mind is being disrupted by dementia. It’s very moving and much more than the sum of its parts, taking in memory, the power of growing plants and who we are when we can no longer tell our story.

Cook this | Jackfruit khanom chin or Thai red curry noodles

In Meera Sodha’s vegan take on this Thai-style curry, meaty jackfruit takes the place of fish in this fresh and fragrant dish with vermicelli noodles.

Listen to this | Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump and the start of the hush money trial – Today in Focus

Hugo Lowell talks through the law and the politics of a case starting this Monday against Donald Trump – the first criminal trial of a former or sitting US president

Book this | Colm Tóibín: Long Island

Colm Tóibín’s much-loved novel Brooklyn is a story of love, endurance and missed chances, set in both New York City and his native Ireland. Now he has returned to his heroine, Eilis Lacey, for a sequel, Long Island. You can hear him talk about both novels at a Guardian Live event – in person in London or via the live stream.

Thursday 23 May, 7pm-8.30pm BST

The Guardian’s crosswords and Wordiply are here to keep you entertained throughout the weekend. Have you tried our brilliant new quick cryptic? Find today’s here.