ICJ ruling on climate crisis is a powerful boost for justice – but may not be enough

On July 23, the International Court of Justice delivered a landmark ruling on the climate crisis. As the highest judicial institution in the world, its word should carry weight, and climate justice movements have welcomed it.

But will it be sufficient to transform the current situation in which the worst offenders – rich, industrialised states and the rich in poorer countries – continue to evade their responsibility?

The ruling is based on a request made by the United Nations General Assembly, to provide an opinion on the obligations of states to address climate change under international law and the legal consequences for failing to deliver on those obligations. This was based on a resolution that 132 states co-sponsored in 2023. As many as 99 states made submissions to the International Court of Justice.

The ruling, unanimously issued by its 15 judges as an advisory apinion to all countries, is long and complex. In a nutshell, it has:

• · Accepted the dire scenarios of the climate crisis as portrayed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, noting that it is “an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet”;
• Asserted that all states have an obligation to act to reduce the...

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