{"id":43845,"date":"2025-11-08T02:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T21:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=43845"},"modified":"2025-11-10T16:39:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:09:29","slug":"icj-hearings-landmark-climate-change-case-shaping-global-climate-governance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/icj-hearings-landmark-climate-change-case-shaping-global-climate-governance\/","title":{"rendered":"ICJ Hearings: Landmark Climate Change Case Shaping Global Climate Governance"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>\u00a0What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in News?<\/li>\n<li>What is International Court of Justice (ICJ)?<\/li>\n<li>Background \u2013 the case<\/li>\n<li>Significance of this hearing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why in News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The annual climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, ended with disappointment for developing nations, as developed countries agreed to mobilize only $300 billion annually in climate finance, far below the $1.3 trillion demanded based on assessed needs. This decision highlights the ongoing failure of developed nations to meet their climate finance and emission reduction responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>In response, developing nations, especially small island states, have escalated the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On December 2, the ICJ began hearings on a case seeking an advisory opinion on the obligations of countries under international laws regarding climate change and the legal consequences of those obligations.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is International Court of Justice (ICJ)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>About<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/the-united-nations-un\/\" target=\"_blank\">United Nations (UN)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.<\/li>\n<li>The seat of the Court is at the <strong>Peace Palace in The Hague<\/strong> (Netherlands).\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>It is the only one of the six principal organs of the UN that is not located in New York City.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>English and French<\/strong> are the ICJ\u2019s official languages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Role<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The role of ICJ is:\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>to give <strong>advisory opinions<\/strong> on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Judges<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/what-is-international-court-of-justice-icj\/\" target=\"_blank\">ICJ<\/a> has 15 judges who are elected to nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and Security Council, which vote simultaneously but separately.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The president and vice-president of the court are elected for three-year terms by secret ballot. <strong>Judges are eligible for re-election<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Members and Jurisdiction<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>All members of the UN are automatically parties to the ICJ statute. However, this does not automatically give the ICJ jurisdiction over disputes involving them.\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>ICJ gets jurisdiction only if both parties consent to it<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The judgment of the <i><strong>ICJ is final and technically binding<\/strong><\/i> on the parties to a case.\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>There is no provision of appeal. It can at the most, be subject to interpretation or, upon the discovery of a new fact, revision.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Background \u2013 the case<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>UNGA Resolution Initiated by Vanuatu<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The case stems from a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution passed in March 2023, led by Vanuatu, a small Pacific Island nation severely threatened by rising sea levels.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Vanuatu proposed seeking an ICJ advisory opinion on climate obligations in September 2021.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The resolution, co-sponsored by 132 countries, received broad international support.\n<ul>\n<li>India had not joined the overwhelming majority of countries that co-sponsored the draft resolution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key Questions Raised in the Resolution<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The resolution seeks answers to two critical questions:\n<ul>\n<li>What are the obligations of countries under international law to protect the climate system?<\/li>\n<li>What are the legal consequences for countries failing to meet these obligations and causing harm to the climate system?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Purpose of ICJ Advisory Opinion<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The UNGA resolution requests the ICJ to clarify the climate obligations of countries in light of these international laws and assess the legal consequences for non-compliance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Relevant International Legal Instruments dealing with the issue<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>While the 1994 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2015 Paris Agreement are central to climate law, the resolution also invokes other legal frameworks, including:\n<ul>\n<li>UN Convention on the Law of the Seas; Convention on Biological Diversity; Convention to Combat Desertification<\/li>\n<li>Universal Declaration on Human Rights; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; UN Charter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Role in the Hearings<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India is scheduled to make its submission on December 5.\n<ul>\n<li>It should be noted that, India was among the countries which voiced concerns about whether launching a judicial process was the best way to reach shared goals.<\/li>\n<li>Successfully tackling the climate crisis is best achieved via diplomatic efforts.<\/li>\n<li>As per India, top-down approach is not needed in the discussion around climate change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Significance of this hearing<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nature and Potential Impact of the ICJ Advisory Opinion<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The hearing aims to produce an advisory opinion based on the UNGA resolution.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>While non-binding, the opinion could significantly influence global climate governance by broadening the legal basis for climate obligations and highlighting consequences for non-compliance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Historical Context of Climate Obligations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Under the UNFCCC, about 40 developed countries were identified as primarily responsible for historical emissions.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>However, these countries have largely evaded these responsibilities, often shifting some burdens onto developing nations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expanding the Basis of Climate Obligations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The ICJ ruling may show that developed nations\u2019 climate obligations extend beyond the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to other international legal frameworks.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This could introduce new arguments in climate negotiations and bolster small island states\u2019 claims for compensation for climate-related damages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Potential Precedent for Climate Litigation<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>An ICJ advisory opinion could strengthen thousands of climate lawsuits worldwide.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>As of 2023, over 2,600 cases have been filed globally, with several landmark rulings already delivered.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>For instance, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Switzerland\u2019s failure to meet emission targets violated its citizens&#8217; human rights.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In April 2023, India\u2019s Supreme Court expanded fundamental rights to include protection from adverse climate impacts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q.1. What is the purpose of the ICJ hearing on climate change?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The ICJ hearing aims to clarify countries\u2019 obligations under international law to address climate change and assess the legal consequences of non-compliance. This could strengthen global climate governance and influence future litigation.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q.2. How can the ICJ ruling impact global climate negotiations?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The ICJ ruling may broaden the legal basis for climate obligations and bolster arguments for compensation claims by vulnerable nations, such as small island states, in international climate negotiations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-climate\/icj-climate-change-case-9704168\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ICJ begins hearing on landmark climate change case: Why is this significant?<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/international\/israel-south-africa-case-verdict-international-court-of-justice-live-update-january-26-2024\/article67779414.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover the significance of ICJ&#8217;s advisory hearings on climate change. Learn how the case seeks to redefine obligations under international law and strengthen accountability in global climate governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":43846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-43845","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}