Responding to a UN General Assembly decision calling on the International Court of Justice to issue an authoritative opinion on the obligations and responsibilities of states in climate justice, Marta Schaaf, Director of the Climate Justice Program, Economic and Social and Corporate Accountability of Amnesty International, has stated:
“We are in a historic moment in the fight for climate justice, as it is likely to shed light on how existing international law, especially human rights and environmental law, can be applied to strengthen action on climate change. This will help mitigate the causes and consequences of the damage done to the climate and ultimately protect people and the environment around the world.”
“We applaud this remarkable achievement of Vanuatu, and other Pacific Island States, who initially presented this petition to the UN to promote climate justice. Its resolution was passed by consensus, endorsed by more than 130 countries and a broad coalition of civil society, and with widespread popular support.”
“Today’s victory stems from the efforts of young activists from Pacific Island States to achieve climate justice. Like other States in the region, Vanuatu has been hit by a series of strong cyclones, and faces the existential threat of rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms, caused mainly by burning fuels. fossil fuels in industrialized countries, an issue over which Vanuatu has no control or responsibility.”
“The International Court of Justice can now choose to issue a strong advisory opinion to promote climate justice. For him report published by the IPCC this month, we know that the 1.5°C global warming limit agreed in Paris in 2015 is likely to be exceeded by 2035 unless urgent action is taken. We see some fossil fuel producing states resist calls to phase them out, falsely promoting carbon capture and storage as a technological climate fix. An advisory opinion from the Court can help slow this accelerating climate disaster.”