🌏 The World's Top Court To Rule On Climate Change, Scotland's First Muslim And Person Of Color Leader And More

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In a historic moment for climate justice, the United Nations has passed a resolution calling for the world's top court to examine climate change.

On Wednesday March 29, the UN passed a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice – or ICJ – to issue a legal opinion on climate change and human rights.

The resolution was spearheaded by the Pacific Island of Vanuatu, after a group of students across the Pacific Islands launched a campaign for an ICJ advisory opinion on climate change.

"Climate change is not an abstract issue but a reality for us [in the Pacific Islands," Cynthia Houniuhi, the president of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, which started the initiative, told Almost.

Houniuhi hails from the Solomon Islands and is currently studying her masters in law at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

"For us, it doesn't only take away our livelihoods, but it takes away also the lives of our loved ones. It takes away our land, which we base our identity on. It also takes away the opportunity for myself and our future generations to practice our culture, to speak our languages. It takes away our sovereignty when we have to pack and move to an unknown world."

"It takes away a huge part of me that I can never get back," she added.

She said she and other law students from the Pacific Islands decided to launch the initiative because the pace of climate action was not proportionate to the rate climate change is hitting their communities.

"Climate change is the greatest threat to what we hold so dear to us in our cultures in the Pacific, and I will fight like my life depended on it, like those before me have, to ensure that the future generations have a life of dignity and cultural identity," Houniuhi said.

An advisory opinion is not legally binding like the ICJ’s official rulings, but it does carry a lot of authority and weight.

Activists say it will provide clarity on countries’ legal obligations to respond to climate change and to protect the rights of current and future generations, as well as serve as a reference and tool that people can use to hold their governments accountable for climate action.

The ICJ will now examine the questions asked by the UN with relation to climate change and human rights, with an advisory opinion expected in 2024.

Also Happening Around The World

🌏 Just days earlier, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report, warning that humans have permanently damaged the planet and are far short of limiting global warming to 1.5°C or even 2°C.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland has got its first Muslim and person of color leader – Humza Yousaf, the former health minister and the son of first generation Pakistani immigrants.

🇫🇷 The streets of Paris, France, are completely littered with garbage due to mass protests and strikes against the president raising the retirement age for pensions.

🇺🇬 The Ugandan parliament passed a bill, which if approved by the president, will make it a crime for people to identify as LGBTQ on Tuesday Mar. 21.

🇯🇵 Photos of men sexually harassing statues of underage girl characters at the newly opened Ghibli Park in Japan have gone viral on social media, sparking anger.

Scotland now has a woman-majority government after the new person of color leader, Humza Yousaf, appointed six women to be ministers in his cabinet.

For the first time ever, six out of nine cabinet members in Scotland are now women, and half of the members are aged below 40.

Women now lead the ministries of finance; education and skills; net zero and just transition; rural affairs, land reform and islands; social justice, justice and home affairs.

“I have made clear my belief Scotland’s government should look as much as possible like the people we represent,” Yousaf said after unveiling his cabinet on Wednesday March 29, according to Sky News.

He added that every appointment had been made on merit.

He said that the team reflects the priorities of his government, which include “tackling child poverty, improving public services and building a fairer, greener economy,” according to Sky News.

A video of babies being dressed up like sushi on a Japanese variety show has gone viral on social media after the show was re-broadcasted on Netflix, and it is literally the cutest.

The clip comes from the long-running variety show by Nippon TV called “Kasou Taishou” (known as “Masquerade”) – which premiered in December 1979.

In the show, amateur groups perform short skits, often faking special effects seen in movies in creative ways using performers and DIY props and costumes, to impress a panel of judges.

In episode 87, two women performers dressed babies up in different colors of clothing and placed them on a big white pillow to turn them into sushi pieces.

No babies were hurt in the process.

The group ended up in third place in the episode and earned 300,000 yen (about US$ 2,266).

A video of the skit has gone viral on YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 3.6 million times

More Good News For Your Week

🇯🇵 Also in Japan, a student cosplayed as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for graduation to show his support for Ukraine.

🌍 A recent study that found that the COVID-19 pandemic had “minimal” impact on the mental health of people in high-income European and Asian countries has prompted people to share some of their most unhinged behavior during lockdown.

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