Feeling the Heat

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The small Pacific island of Vanuatu successfully convinced the United Nations to ask the world’s top international court to decide on countries’ obligations to address climate change, a move seen as a major milestone in advancing international climate law, the Washington Post reported.

The UN General Assembly approved a request for an advisory ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) this week, without any objections from China and the United States – the world’s biggest emitters.

The Netherlands-based court is expected to clarify countries’ legal obligations to combat climate change and lay the groundwork for them to be sued if they fail to comply.

The decision marks a significant victory for Vanuatu, an archipelago nation of 320,000 people that has been plagued with climate-change-driven natural disasters in recent years. For example, the Pacific nation has been hit by two Category 4 cyclones this year and its leaders blame global warming.

Vanuatu officials said its diplomatic efforts have been aimed at building consensus and that they did not seek to sue any country, but wanted to clarify how preexisting international deals apply to climate change.

The ICJ mainly handles disputes between nations but also issues advisory opinions that interpret how existing international agreements apply to new issues.

Legal analysts and UN officials noted that the opinions are not binding on national courts but they do carry some weight in pressuring governments and judges, as well as opening up avenues to future lawsuits.

Meanwhile, in another recent case on climate change, more than 2,000 Swiss women are taking the Swiss government to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), saying that its policy on climate change is violating their right to life and health, the BBC added.

The suit marks the first time the ECHR will hear a case on the impact of climate change on human rights. The case comes amid a backdrop of rising temperatures and heatwaves in Switzerland.