Vanuatu, population 300,000, rallied countries to ask the world’s highest court to weigh in on a high-stakes question: Can countries be sued under international law for failing to slow down climate change?
A UN resolution was adopted on Wednesday that should make it easier to hold polluting countries legally accountable for failing to tackle the climate emergency, in a vote which was hailed as a historic victory for climate justice.
In the wake of the latest warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Pacific island nation renews calls for a global phaseout of fossil fuels.
Vulnerable nations beset by extreme weather are building a worldwide coalition calling for the International Court of Justice to advise on states’ climate obligations.
Neither of the world's two largest emitters, China and the United States, have signed on as co-sponsors for the motion, which could be up for a vote at the United Nations later this year.
