Failing to protect the planet from climate change is a violation of international law, the International Court of Justice in The Hague concluded on Wednesday.
Judges ruled that states are obligated under international law to reduce emissions, prevent harm, and cooperate in protecting vulnerable populations. They emphasized that these responsibilities cover all activities contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, including fossil fuel consumption, extraction, subsidies, and regulatory oversight.
The court’s president, Yuji Iwasawa, said greenhouse gas emissions are “unequivocally” caused by human activities and called climate change an “urgent and existential threat.” Announcing its advisory opinion, the court said:
Customary international law sets forth obligations for States to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
This, the court states, includes preventing “significant harm to the environment” and cooperating “with each other in good faith.”
Failing to do so, the ICJ says, “constitutes an internationally wrongful act,” which can lead to legal consequences, including “full reparation to injured States in the form of restitution, compensation and satisfaction.”
