UN adopts resolution supporting international court’s climate ruling

UN adopts resolution supporting international court’s climate ruling141 UN member states voted in support of the ICJ’s finding Climate Change is an ‘existential threat’.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has voted to support a landmark ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which found states have a legal responsibility to act to prevent the climate crisis from worsening.More than two-thirds of UN member states, 141, voted in favour of the resolution on Wednesday, with eight voting no and 28 abstaining.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4True climate justice demands a reckoning with colonialismlist 2 of 4At least 1,250 people dead: What caused the devastating Asia floods?list 3 of 4US pressures Vanuatu at UN over ICJ’s landmark Climate Change rulinglist 4 of 4Powerful states are trying to sabotage decarbonisation of shippingend of listRalph Regenvanu, the minister for Climate Change from Vanuatu, which championed the case, described the vote as a victory for “communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis”.“Today the international community affirmed that Climate Change is not only a political and economic challenge, but a matter of law, justice, and human rights,” Regenvanu said in a statement.“For vulnerable countries like Vanuatu, this resolution is deeply significant because it confirms that no State is above its obligations to protect people, future generations, and our planet.”The historic ruling from The Hague-based court in July last year found that states have a legal obligation to act on the “existential threat” of Climate Change.The case was the biggest ever to be considered by the ICJ’s 15 judges, who reviewed tens of thousands of pages of written submissions and heard two weeks of oral arguments before delivering their verdict.The case came to the court at the request of the UNGA after a resolution led by Vanuatu was adopted by consensus in March 2023.Wednesday’s vote, by contrast, attracted a number of objections, with Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Yemen voting no.