In A Historic Ruling, The ICJ Has Found Climate Change Is An Existential Threat And Countries Have A Duty To Stop It
"This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference,"
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s highest court, has delivered a landmark ruling that found climate change is an “existential threat” and that countries have a legal responsibility to protect the environment and cut their emissions.
The ruling came six years after a group of students across the Pacific Islands, the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), launched a campaign for the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion — or its legal opinion — on the link between climate change and human rights.
On Wednesday, July 23, the ICJ delivered its opinion after holding its largest hearings in December 2024.
“The consequences of climate change are severe and far-reaching. They affect both natural ecosystems and human populations,” the court’s president Yuji Iwasawa, adding that the consequences “underscore the urgent and existential threat posed by climate change.”
While the advisory opinion is not legally binding, it carries significant political and legal weight, and climate and environmental groups have called it a historic moment for climate justice that sets a significant precedent for future climate litigation.
“Today the world’s smallest countries have made history,” the director of PISFCC, Vishal Prasad said. “The ICJ’s decision brings us closer to a world where governments can no longer turn a blind eye to their legal responsibilities.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also hailed the opinion and said it affirms that the Paris climate agreement goal needs to be the basis of all climate policies, according to Reuters.
"This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference," he said. "The world must respond."
Kassy Cho
Kassy Cho
Kassy Cho
