Closely-watched international climate case in the Hague wraps up its first week of testimony
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Closely-watched international climate case in the Hague wraps up its first week of testimony

Associated Press  

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A closely-watched international climate case that could yield guidance for governments around the world wrapped its first week of arguments before the top court of the United Nations in The Hague Friday. The U.N. General Assembly asked the court last year for an opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.” “The stakes could not be higher. Fifteen judges from around the world must now answer two questions: What are countries obliged to do under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? “States designed this international legal framework to address the uniquely complex collective action problem posed by anthropogenic global warming, and it embodies the clearest, most specific and the most current expression of states’ consent to be bound by international law in respect of climate change,” Margaret Taylor said on behalf of the United States, referring to the Paris Agreement.

Global International Law Climate Change International Legal Climate Court States Countries Hague United Nations Vanuatu Kroon  countries  wraps  legal  climate  states  emissions  week  united  hague  testimony  court  nations  global  case  international  closelywatched

History of this topic

It is time to move the UN and international law out of the West
1 month, 2 weeks ago

It is time to move the UN and international law out of the West

Al Jazeera  

The exceptional immunity that Israel has enjoyed for decades has placed international law and its institutions at a knife’s edge. For example, prominent Chilean legal scholar Alejandro Alvarez proposed a “new international law” some 70 years ago. In a series of dissenting opinions in cases he deliberated on, Alvarez called for a “new international law” which accommodated the particular historical …

ICJ weighs legal responsibility for climate change, ‘future of our planet’
3 months, 1 week ago

ICJ weighs legal responsibility for climate change, ‘future of our planet’

Al Jazeera  

The International Court of Justice’s 15 judges will consider arguments made by more than 100 countries in a case led by Vanuatu and other Pacific island nations. “It is with a profound sense of urgency and responsibility that I stand before you today,” Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change and environment, said as he opened the hearings on …

Hearings are done: Now the wait begins for verdict on closely-watched climate case at UN’s top court
Trending News
3 months, 1 week ago

Hearings are done: Now the wait begins for verdict on closely-watched climate case at UN’s top court

Associated Press  

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A lawyer for a small South Pacific island nation told the world’s highest court to heed her warning. The International Court of Justice took up the largest case in its history after the United Nations General Assembly asked the institution to clarify what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help …

The wait begins for a verdict on closely watched climate case at U.N.’s top court
3 months, 1 week ago

The wait begins for a verdict on closely watched climate case at U.N.’s top court

LA Times  

Activists protest Monday outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague as it opens hearings into what countries are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating impact. The International Court of Justice took up the largest case in its history after the United Nations General Assembly asked the institution to clarify …

"No free riders" Dutch tell top UN court over climate change
3 months, 2 weeks ago

"No free riders" Dutch tell top UN court over climate change

Dutch News  

The Netherlands told the UN’s top court on Tuesday that without sufficient action to combat global warming, the Peace Palace may soon be an island. “There is no room for free riders on this planet,” René Lefeber, legal adviser to the ministry of foreign affairs, told the International Court of Justice at a ground-breaking case on the legal rights and …

Landmark climate change case opens at the top UN court
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Landmark climate change case opens at the top UN court

Dutch News  

Two weeks of hearings into the legal rights and responsibilities of countries regarding climate change opened at the UN’s top court in The Hague on Monday, with the small island nation of Vanuatu urging International Court of Justice judges to hold the world’s polluters legally responsible. “Today, we find ourselves on the front lines of a crisis we did not …

Big climate change case in top UN court: Are wealthy nations legally bound to help vulnerable ones?
Trending News
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Big climate change case in top UN court: Are wealthy nations legally bound to help vulnerable ones?

Firstpost  

Any decision by the court would be non-binding advice and couldn’t directly force wealthy nations into action to help struggling countries. Yet it would be more than just a powerful symbol since it could be the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits Activists put up a billboard outside the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, Netherlands, as …

A landmark climate change case opens at the top UN court as island nations fear rising seas
3 months, 3 weeks ago

A landmark climate change case opens at the top UN court as island nations fear rising seas

Associated Press  

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The top United Nations court took up the largest case in its history on Monday, hearing the plight of several small island nations helpless in combating the devastating impact of climate change that they feel endangers their very survival. After years of lobbying by island nations who fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters, …

Landmark climate change case opens at top U.N. court as island nations fear rising seas
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Landmark climate change case opens at top U.N. court as island nations fear rising seas

LA Times  

Hearings began Monday at the International Court of Justice in The Hague into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating effects. After years of lobbying by island nations that fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters, the U.N. General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice …

A landmark climate change case will open at the top UN court as island nations fear rising seas
3 months, 3 weeks ago

A landmark climate change case will open at the top UN court as island nations fear rising seas

Associated Press  

THE HAGUE — The top United Nations court will take up the largest case in its history on Monday, when it opens two weeks of hearings into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating impact. After years of lobbying by island nations who fear they could simply disappear …

International Court of Justice to begin hearings in landmark climate change case started by Pacific Islander students
3 months, 3 weeks ago

International Court of Justice to begin hearings in landmark climate change case started by Pacific Islander students

ABC  

A landmark case that began in a Pacific classroom and could change the course of future climate talks is about to be heard in the International Court of Justice. The road to the ICJ — nicknamed the "World Court" — started five years ago when a group of law students studying in Vanuatu began discussing how they could help bring …

A push for more climate action
9 months, 1 week ago

A push for more climate action

The Hindu  

International climate change litigation reached a milestone on May 21, 2024 when the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delivered an advisory opinion sought by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law concerning the specific obligations of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on climate change …

Island states win historic climate case in world oceans court
10 months ago

Island states win historic climate case in world oceans court

Al Jazeera  

World court rules countries must protect oceans by reducing fossil fuel emissions as island states fight for survival. Nine small island states have won a historic climate change case at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which ruled that all signatories to a United Nations treaty on marine activities must do more to protect the world’s oceans …

UN maritime tribunal says countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution
10 months ago

UN maritime tribunal says countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A U.N. tribunal on maritime …

UN maritime tribunal says countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution
10 months ago

UN maritime tribunal says countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution

Associated Press  

HAMBURG, Germany — A U.N. tribunal on maritime law said Tuesday that countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, a victory for small island nations that are on the front lines of climate change. The request for the opinion was made in 2022 by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, a coalition …

Landmark ruling to decide if climate change action is a human right
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Landmark ruling to decide if climate change action is a human right

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The European Court of Human Rights will rule on Tuesday on a group of landmark …

The Pacific-Caribbean Climate Case
1 year, 5 months ago

The Pacific-Caribbean Climate Case

The Diplomat  

In mid-September, the prime ministers of Tuvalu and Antigua and Barbuda gave evidence in a landmark case brought before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany. The two prime ministers represented a coalition known as the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, which consists of a number of Pacific and …

Pacific Island nations seek climate change ruling for polluters at international Oceans Court
1 year, 6 months ago

Pacific Island nations seek climate change ruling for polluters at international Oceans Court

ABC  

When Naima Te Maile Fifita stood before an international court to make a plea for help in the face of climate change, she evoked images of motherhood and connection. Key points: Small island countries are asking the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea for a landmark ruling Pacific leaders say their homes will become uninhabitable, if not fully …

UN backs landmark Pacific-led resolution clearing way for International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate obligations
1 year, 11 months ago

UN backs landmark Pacific-led resolution clearing way for International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate obligations

ABC  

The United Nations has adopted a landmark resolution asking the International Court of Justice to deliver an opinion on climate change and the legal consequences countries face for harming the environment. Key points: The International Court of Justice will now determine states' legal and financial obligations in preventing climate harm Melbourne Law School professor Margaret Young says advisory opinions carry …

UN seeks court opinion on climate in win for island states
1 year, 11 months ago

UN seeks court opinion on climate in win for island states

Associated Press  

The countries of the United Nations led by the island state of Vanuatu adopted what they called a historic resolution Wednesday calling for the U.N.'s highest court to strengthen countries’ obligations to curb warming and protect communities from climate disaster. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he hoped the opinion, when issued, would encourage nations “to take the bolder and stronger …

UN wants International Court of Justice’s view on countries’ climate obligations
1 year, 11 months ago

UN wants International Court of Justice’s view on countries’ climate obligations

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Vanuatu prime minister Ishmael Kalsakau said it “will have a powerful and positive impact on how we address climate …

UNGA is expected to adopt resolution to outline legal obligations related to climate change
1 year, 11 months ago

UNGA is expected to adopt resolution to outline legal obligations related to climate change

The Hindu  

The United Nations General Assembly on March 29 is expected to adopt a resolution calling for a top court to outline legal obligations related to climate change, an "unprecedented challenge of civilisational proportions." The UN resolution notably asks the ICJ to clarify the "legal consequences" for states which "have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of …

UN agrees on role for Int’l Court of Justice in climate change
1 year, 11 months ago

UN agrees on role for Int’l Court of Justice in climate change

Al Jazeera  

Pacific island state Vanuatu – one of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change – has led the UN initiative to deliver climate justice with a legal basis. “For us, an unprecedented weather event, consistent with what science tells us is a result of climate change,” Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change Adaptation Ralph Regenvanu said last week at a press …

UN votes to ask world court to rule on countries’ climate duties
1 year, 11 months ago

UN votes to ask world court to rule on countries’ climate duties

Al Jazeera  

The call for the International Court of Justice to provide a legal opinion on the climate crisis follows a campaign led by the Pacific island of Vanuatu. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution asking the world’s top court to define the obligations of countries to combat climate change. “If and when given, such an opinion would assist …

International courts and climate change
2 years ago

International courts and climate change

The Hindu  

A group of 16 countries has launched a gallant effort to fight the problem of climate change — an existential threat to human civilisation — at the United Nations. Led by Vanuatu — an island country in the South Pacific Ocean — the group seeks an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the issue of climate change. …

Small islands seek UN sea court’s opinion on climate change
2 years, 3 months ago

Small islands seek UN sea court’s opinion on climate change

Associated Press  

BERLIN — The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea said Monday that small island states have asked it to provide an opinion on what impact a key U.N. treaty governing maritime activities has on efforts to curb climate change — guidance that could have far-reaching legal implications. The Hamburg-based U.N. tribunal said it received a request from the …

Vanuatu’s big plea does little to arrest climate change
2 years, 4 months ago

Vanuatu’s big plea does little to arrest climate change

The Hindu  

There is a strong belief in some quarters that the next climate conference, just days away in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt this year may not discuss climate change mitigation largely on account of the ongoing energy stress in Europe. A similar call on coal use Vanuatu’s plea comes in the wake of a similar call for phaseout of coal …

Climate change gets ‘highest priority’ in US, Pacific agreement
2 years, 5 months ago

Climate change gets ‘highest priority’ in US, Pacific agreement

Al Jazeera  

New partnership deal signed by 14 nations follows historic summit at the White House and comes as China extends influence in the region. The United States and Pacific island nations have signed up to a new era of cooperation, making climate change the “highest priority” and promising to work together to ensure a peaceful region where “democracy is allowed to …

Pacific youth need action on climate change, Vanuatu PM says, as leaders seek to appeal to world's highest court
2 years, 8 months ago

Pacific youth need action on climate change, Vanuatu PM says, as leaders seek to appeal to world's highest court

ABC  

Vanuatu's Prime Minister has criticised the slow pace of international negotiations to reduce carbon emissions as "totally out of step" with the threat facing Pacific Island nations. Key points: Leaders discuss international support and funding to fight the impacts of climate change at the Pacific Islands Forum Bob Loughman says the International Court of Justice could boost funding for climate …

Small islands caught between tourism economy, climate change
3 years, 5 months ago

Small islands caught between tourism economy, climate change

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The United Nations recognizes 38 …

Small islands caught between tourism economy, climate change
3 years, 5 months ago

Small islands caught between tourism economy, climate change

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Come visit the Maldives, its president entreated the world at this year’s United Nations General Assembly, moments before switching to an impassioned plea for help combating climate change. The United Nations recognizes 38 member states, scattered across the world’s waters, as small island developing states grouped together because they face “unique social, economic and environmental challenges.” This …

Vanuatu to push international court for climate change action
3 years, 5 months ago

Vanuatu to push international court for climate change action

Al Jazeera  

Island state with 280,000 people among more than a dozen Pacific island nations facing rising sea levels and more frequent storms. Vanuatu, with a population of some 280,000 people spread across roughly 80 islands, is among more than a dozen Pacific island nations facing rising sea levels and more regular storms. “In response to the catastrophic levels of climate change …

As Trump questions global warming, UN says: US gov’t won’t
6 years, 4 months ago

As Trump questions global warming, UN says: US gov’t won’t

Associated Press  

GENEVA — A top U.N. scientist on Thursday shrugged off an online quip from U.S. President Donald Trump that questioned global warming, saying a U.S. government report will show the “fundamental impacts of climate change on the U.S. continent.” Officials at the World Meteorological Organization also said environmentally minded efforts by the state of California, in parts of the financial …

Discover Related