Vanuatu, a country made up of 800 islands in the Pacific with a population of around 300,000 people, asked this Monday (2) that the UN Court, also known as the World Court, recognize the damage caused by climate change.
The court will analyze whether countries have an obligation to combat climate change and deal with the consequences of their contributions to global warming.
Vanuatu led the effort for the World Court to issue a so-called “advisory opinion”. The country was the first among more than 100 nations and international organizations to present opinions during the two-week proceedings on the case.
“We find ourselves on the front line of a crisis we did not create, a crisis that threatens our very existence,” Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for Climate Change and the Environment, told the court at the start of proceedings.
Regenvanu said there was an urgent need for a response to climate change that was based on international law rather than politics.
“We hope the court recognizes that the conduct that has already caused immense harm to my people and so many others is illegal, that it must cease and that its consequences must be repaired,” he said.
Post-COP29 debate
The hearings begin a week after developing nations condemned the outcome of the COP29 summit, where richer countries agreed to provide $300 billion in annual climate finance by 2035 to help poorer nations tackle climate change.
Although the advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice or the World Court are non-binding, that is, they are not mandatory, they have important political meanings. Experts say the Court’s eventual opinion on climate change will likely be cited in climate change-related lawsuits in courts in Europe, Latin America and other countries.
Young climate activist from the Solomon Islands, Cynthia Houniuhi, told the judges that the future of young people in the small island countries is uncertain and currently determined by a handful of countries emitting greenhouse gases that have caused climate change.
“As judges of the World Court, you have the power to help us correct course and renew hope in humanity’s ability to meet the greatest challenge of our time,” she said, adding that the panel of 15 judges could do this by applying the international law on conduct that causes climate change.
In addition to small island states and several Western and developing countries, the court will also hear from the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, the United States and China. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will also present its views.
The hearings will continue until December 13th. The court’s opinion is expected to be issued in 2025.
This content was originally published in Vanuatu asks UN Court to recognize damage caused by climate change on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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