More than 100 of the United Nations’ 193 member states have now signed onto a climate resolution calling for the International Court of Justice to weigh in on what governments are legally obligated to do to mitigate climate change and protect people from its impacts.
Spearheaded by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the resolution invokes the many commitments that the U.N. has made to human rights and the environment, arguing that an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice is needed to spur more aggressive climate action - particularly from the governments of wealthy countries that bear a disproportionate responsibility for rising global temperatures.
The International Court of Justice has no enforcement powers, but experts say its opinion could influence climate lawsuits and international negotiations in favour of vulnerable countries. Set in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ is the only principal UN organ not located in New York City.
The resolution notes that rich countries have failed to mobilize $100 billion a year in climate finance for the developing world, which they had promised to do by 2020. It also says more “capacity building and technology transfer” is needed to help developing countries.
The resolution is now supported by 105 co-sponsors, including most European, African, and Pacific island countries. Australia, Canada, and Mexico also back the plan, but a handful of oil-rich countries - including the United States - have yet to support it. The draft resolution is expected to be adopted later this spring by the U.N.’s General Assembly, the organization’s main policy-making body.
To pass the resolution, Vanuatu needs support from a simple majority of U.N. member states - which it already now has, although the country’s legal adviser at the U.N. has said they’re seeking even greater support to send a “signal” to the court.