Over 100 Countries To Submit As Landmark Climate Case Begins At UN Court
The United Nations’ top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is set to begin unprecedented hearings on Monday aimed at establishing legal guidelines for how countries should protect the planet from climate change and assist vulnerable nations in tackling its devastating effects.
Representatives from Vanuatu and other low-lying island nations in the Pacific Ocean will open the proceedings at the Peace Palace in The Hague, where a 15-judge panel will oversee the hearings. Over the next two weeks, more than 100 countries and organizations will make submissions, marking the highest number ever before the Hague-based court.
The hearings come at a critical time, just days after a contentious climate deal was reached at the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan. Wealthy nations agreed to provide at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to assist poorer countries in transitioning to cleaner energy and adapting to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events. However, developing nations criticized the pledge as insufficient and pointed out that the agreement failed to include a global commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.
Ralph Regenvanu, special envoy for Vanuatu, emphasized the significance of the ICJ’s advisory opinion, calling it a pivotal moment to clarify international legal obligations for climate action. “We are on the frontline of climate change impact,” he said, highlighting the urgency of the initiative led by Vanuatu and neighboring island states.
The UN General Assembly referred two critical climate questions to the ICJ last year. The first concerns the international legal obligations of states to protect the Earth’s climate system from greenhouse gas emissions. The second asks about the legal consequences for countries whose actions or inactions have caused significant harm to the climate system, particularly affecting small, vulnerable nations.
Legal experts, including Joie Chowdhury of the Center for International Environmental Law, do not expect the ICJ’s opinion to provide detailed solutions but rather a legal framework that could guide further climate litigation on domestic and international levels. The opinion is expected to have significant implications for future climate-related legal cases.
Among the countries expected to participate in the proceedings are major carbon polluters like China, the United States, and India. Despite global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, emissions from fossil fuels hit a record high in 2024, according to the Global Carbon Project, underscoring the growing urgency for effective climate action.
