If resolution is passed governments will have legal responsibility to cut greenhouse gas emissions
The UN’s willingness to tackle the climate crisis in a fair and legal way will be tested next week during a critical vote of the UN general assembly in New York.
Every member state is being asked to back a series of landmark findings on climate justice from the international court of justice (ICJ) as part of a new political resolution. If passed, it will mean governments recognise they have a legal responsibility to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, including tackling fossil fuels.
The ICJ’s advisory opinion, published last year following a series of hearings in the Hague, had been requested by an unprecedented 132 states without opposition in 2023. It was hailed as a “historic win” for small island states.
The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has since been leading a group of states to draft a resolution that welcomes the opinion and tries to help it make a difference on the ground. Ahead of the UN vote on 20 May, it is seeking support from as many other nations as possible.
