The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted on Wednesday to endorse a landmark advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which found that states have a legal duty to prevent the worsening of the climate crisis.

The resolution passed with 141 votes in favor, 8 against, and 28 abstentions. The countries voting no included Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Yemen.

Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu's minister for climate change, hailed the vote as "a victory for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis." He stated, "Today the international community affirmed that climate change is not only a political and economic challenge, but a matter of law, justice, and human rights."

The ICJ's historic ruling in July 2023 determined that states have a legal obligation to address the "existential threat" of climate change. The case was the largest ever considered by the court's 15 judges, who reviewed tens of thousands of pages of submissions and heard two weeks of oral arguments.

Al Jazeera reported in February that the US had sent a diplomatic cable urging UN member states not to support the resolution. The cable stated, "We are strongly urging Vanuatu to immediately withdraw its draft resolution and cease attempting to wield the Court's Advisory Opinion as a basis for creating an avenue to pursue any misguided claims of international legal obligations."

Wesley Morgan, a fellow at the Australian nonprofit Climate Council, called the vote "a massive victory for Vanuatu and the Pacific leaders who have spent decades fighting for survival on the frontlines of the climate crisis." He added, "For far too long, fossil fuel heavyweights have treated climate action as a political choice, but the UN General Assembly has now confirmed it is a binding legal duty."

Source: www.aljazeera.com