Global – Vanuatu has tabled a draft resolution to the UN
to formally endorse last year’s International Court of
Justice advisory opinion on climate change. Despite pressure
from big polluters to stall the momentum from international
law to action, island nations like Vanuatu continue to push
for accountability.
The current draft resolution
responds to the unanimous ICJ advisory opinion on climate
change, which among others confirmed that:
The 1.5°C
limit is legally binding, not aspirational, and must guide
all state conduct.
States have binding obligations
under customary international law to prevent foreseeable
climate harm and resulting rights violations—obligations
that apply to all countries, including those that have
withdrawn from the Paris Agreement.
Fossil fuel
subsidies, exploration licenses, and continued production
can breach international law.
Climate harm can be
attributed to individual states, and states cannot escape
liability by asserting that they are only one of many
releasing greenhouse gases.
States must regulate
private actors, including fossil fuel corporations whose
emissions cause harm, including transboundary
devastation.
Fenton Lutunatabua, 350.org Pacific
& Caribbean Program Lead, said:
“Six months
ago, this advisory opinion was unanimous, meaning all agreed
that countries have the legal responsibility to avoid
climate harm and are liable for the damages if they fail to
do so. This decision put the fossil fuel industry, and the
governments that enable them, on notice. It is crucial, for
all of us on the frontlines, that this notice be turned into
concrete action.
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The world may think that the climate
crisis is confined to islands like ours in the Pacific, but
the reality is that it is impacting everyone – from
heatwaves in Australia to wildfires in the US. As people
that have lived this reality for decades, we are urging the
international community to grasp this opportunity to avoid
the worst of it. Global cooperation to solve this crisis is
in everyone’s best interest.”
Anne Jellema,
350.org Executive Director, said:
“Vanuatu’s
leadership is a powerful reminder that climate justice is
not abstract, it is rooted in law, responsibility, and lived
reality. The International Court of Justice has made clear
that protecting people and the planet is a legal obligation,
not a choice. This UN resolution is about turning that
clarity into action.
At a time when some governments
are trying to delay and deny, island nations are showing
what true leadership looks like: standing up for fairness,
accountability, and a livable future for all. Communities on
the frontlines should not have to pay the price for
pollution they did not cause. The world now has both the
moral and legal mandate to act, governments must rise to
that
moment.”
