Stick to current climate change laws, US tells top UN court [Video]

The current United Nations framework for fighting climate change should be preserved, the United States told the International Court of Justice, which is working on drafting fresh global legal guidelines.

Washington on Wednesday joined China in stressing that the present accords, such as the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, were the best way to tackle the climate crisis, but their comments draw fury from campaigners.

The UN climate change regime “embodies the clearest, most specific, and the most current expression of states’ consent to be bound by international law in respect of climate change,” said Margaret Taylor, legal adviser at the State Department.

“Any other legal obligations relating to climate change mitigation identified by the court should be interpreted consistently with the obligations states have under this treaty regime,” added Taylor.

She urged the ICJ judges “to ensure that its opinion preserves and promotes the centrality of this regime.”

Campaigners were …