Defying efforts by the US to have it withdrawn, a landmark resolution on the legal obligations of countries to protect the planet from climate change has passed a critical next step.
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday (20 May) to support strong action to limit climate change despite fierce campaigning against it by fossil fuel producing countries.
The 193-member world body approved a non-binding resolution endorsing the landmark advisory opinion by the UN’s top court last July that called failure by countries to protect the planet from climate change a violation of international law.
“The world’s highest court has spoken. Today, the General Assembly has answered,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. “This is a powerful affirmation of international law, climate justice, science, and the responsibility of states to protect people from the escalating climate crisis.”
The resolution not only reaffirms the International Court of Justice's ruling on the legal obligations of states on climate change, including reducing their climate harm and tackling fossil fuels, but also ensures there will be a process for advancing compliance with the ruling.
