UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday considers a resolution reinforcing states’ obligations to combat climate change, a long-awaited move toned down under pressure from major greenhouse gas emitters.
“We can’t take any more disaster and destruction. We all have a right to a future, and this UN resolution is the lifeline — we need to grab it,” said Vepaiamele, a 17-year-old from Vanuatu who testified at the International Court of Justice in 2024.
The General Assembly, driven by Pacific island nation Vanuatu, asked the ICJ that year for an advisory opinion on states’ responsibility to honor their climate commitments.
The opinion issued last summer exceeded the expectations of climate advocates with the court ruling it was “unlawful” for countries to neglect their climate commitments, opening the door to “reparations” for affected countries.
To add momentum to that non-binding opinion, on which courts around the world can nevertheless rely, Vanuatu presented a draft resolution in January aimed at putting it into practice.
