Dear MEL Topic Readers,
World’s top court says major polluters may need to pay reparations for
climate harm
Established in 1945 in The Hague, the Netherlands, the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The
ICJ is the only international court that settles general disputes between
countries, with its rulings and opinions serving as primary sources of
international law. On July 23, the top UN court said polluting countries may be
in breach of international law if they do not protect the planet from the
“existential threat” posed by climate change. In addition, the court said countries
that suffer from climate change can ask for compensation from countries that
have burned the most fossil fuels. In addition, the court ruled that subsidizing
the fossil fuel industry or approving fossil fuel exploration licenses could
breach their obligations to the 2015 UN Paris Agreement. Though the ruling is
not legally binding, climate-vulnerable states and frontline communities are
delighted.
The US is the country that has cumulatively emitted the most greenhouse
gases, and China is currently the largest annual emitter. The Trump administration
withdrew from the World Health Organization in January. In June, it proposed
opening the large national petroleum reserve in Alaska for oil and gas leasing.
Last month, it announced that it would pull out of UNESCO for the second time. In
China, nearly half of the new cars sold were EVs this year. How will the largest
greenhouse gas-emitting countries react to this landmark ICJ ruling?
Read the article and learn about the recent ICJ ruling on global
warming.
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