Healthy environment ruled a human right by world’s top court, as campaigners hail ‘seismic’ win
Top UN court calls climate change an ‘existential threat’
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued an advisory opinion saying that a healthy environment is a human right.
- The court said that governments could be violating international law by failing to act on climate change, which Judge Yuji Iwasawa called an “urgent and existential threat”.
- The action, initiated by Vanuatu and supported by over 100 countries, establishes that states have stringent obligations to reduce emissions and that inaction could constitute an internationally wrongful act.
- Although not legally binding, the ICJ's opinion is considered a "turning point" and a "seismic win" for climate justice, expected to significantly influence future climate litigation and international negotiations.
- This landmark opinion is anticipated to shape nearly 3,000 climate-related lawsuits filed globally.