The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Wednesday will reveal a host of proposed penalties the U.N. can implement against countries that defy climate diktats. [emphasis, links added]
Activists hope the legal opinion from the ICJ judges will have far-reaching consequences in the fight against “climate change” in a matter that first came before it in 2023, as Breitbart News reported.
But some critics argue the lawfare ruling will be toothless, as ICJ advisory opinions are not binding and major polluters can simply choose to ignore it; [for instance, the United States withdrew] from compulsory ICJ jurisdiction in 1986.
The U.S. under President Donald Trump has also withdrawn from the U.N.’s Paris climate agreement.
Andrew Raine, deputy director of the U.N. Environment Programme’s law division, said frustration over the pace of climate action had spurred people, organizations, and countries to turn to the courts to seek remediation.
“When political systems fall short, the law is increasingly seen as a tool for driving ambition and enforcing commitments that have been made,” he told AFP.
Almost 3,000 climate cases have been filed since the end of 2024 in nearly 60 countries, according to the Grantham Research Institute, using data compiled by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.
The AFP report notes supporters hope the court is poised to warn governments what their legal obligations are to tackle “global warming,” and possibly outline consequences for polluters that cause climate harm to vulnerable countries.
Stay tuned…
Top photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Read more at Breitbart
