Egypt: The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted a resolution to hold polluting countries legally accountable for failing to tackle the climate emergency, in a vote that was recognised as a historic victory for climate justice.
The resolution was spearheaded by Vanuatu, a tiny Pacific island nation vulnerable to extreme climate effects, and youth activists to secure a legal opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify states’ obligations to deal with the climate crisis as well as specify any consequences countries should face for inaction.
The historic resolution was adopted as countries met in Egypt for the first time to discuss the need for a loss-and-damage funding facility to compensate countries for the irreversible effects of extreme weather events and sea-level rise.
The Vanuatu Prime Minister Mr. Ishmael Kalsakau has commented that “today we have witnessed a win for climate justice of epic proportions. The historic resolution is the beginning of a new era in multilateral climate cooperation, one that is more fully focused on upholding the rule of international law and an era that places human rights and intergenerational equity at the forefront of climate decision-making.”
Ms. Cynthia Houniuhi, president of Pacific Island students fighting climate change (PISFCC), stated that “we are just ecstatic that the world has listened to the Pacific youth. Through no fault of our own, we are living with devastating tropical cyclones, flooding, biodiversity loss, and sea level rise. We have contributed the least to the global emissions that are drowning our land.
According to Mr. Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International, the UN resolution to take the issue of climate change to the world’s highest court is a historic moment in the fight for climate justice, human rights, and intergenerational equity.
The resolution, which was co-sponsored by more than 120 countries, including the UK but not the US, will establish a legal litmus test of sorts for the global climate justice movement seeking to hold countries accountable for climate failures in the courts.
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