The United Nations' highest court begins hearings on Monday to determine whether countries have a legal duty to fight climate change and what the consequences are for those contributing to global warming. The decision could impact lawsuits around the world.
Vanuatu, a small island nation that led the push for the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion, will be the first of more than a hundred countries and international organizations to share its views during two weeks of hearings starting at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT).
While the court's advisory opinions are not binding, they are legally and politically significant. Experts say the court's eventual opinion on climate change will likely be cited in climate change-driven lawsuits in courts from Europe to Latin America and beyond, reports Reuters.
The hearings begin a week after developing nations denounced as woefully inadequate an agreement reached at the COP29 summit for countries to provide $300 billion in annual climate finance by 2035 to help poorer nations cope with climate change.
Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu's special envoy for climate change and the environment, said it was imperative fossil fuels be phased out and more money provided to poorer nations bearing the brunt of climate change, such as his Pacific island nation.
"We would like cumulative historical emissions that cause significant harm to the climate system to be declared unlawful," Regenvanu told Reuters.
Aside from small island states and numerous Western and developing countries, the court will also hear from the world's top two emitters of greenhouse gases, the United States and China. Oil producer group OPEC will also give its views.
The hearings will run until Dec. 13. The court's opinion is expected to be delivered in 2025.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
