Climate change is an “urgent and existential threat” to human life and natural ecosystems, and high-emitting countries have “additional obligations” to take the lead in combating it, according to a historic advisory opinion Wednesday by the International Court of Justice.
Though the opinion is not legally binding, it means that countries can be sued over climate change and that low- and middle-income nations have the right to seek reparations for damages caused by it, whether through reconstruction or compensation. All of the judges’ conclusions were unanimous, adding weight to the opinion. And experts say it is a “treasure trove” of legal arguments to use in future climate cases.
The opinion says that a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” is a human right that is also “essential for the enjoyment of other human rights.”
About the author
Jesse Chase-Lubitz
Jesse Chase-Lubitz covers climate change and multilateral development banks for Devex. She previously worked at Nature Magazine, where she received a Pulitzer grant for an investigation into land reclamation. She has written for outlets such as Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and The Japan Times, among others. Jesse holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics.
