The highest UN court on Friday announced hearings over a key climate justice case outlining countries’ obligations regarding global warming and legal consequences for failing to address the climate emergency.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said it would start the hearings on December 2, as it weighs a so-called advisory opinion on global climate change.
In March 2023, the UN asked the ICJ to clarify “legal consequences” for states that “have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment”.
It specifically asks the court to weigh obligations to “small island developing States”, which are “particularly vulnerable” to climate change, as well as obligations to future generations.
Vanuatu, a small archipelago whose future is threatened by rising sea levels, had been pushing for this resolution for years.
Although ICJ opinions are not binding, they carry significant legal and moral weight, and are often taken into …