Hague:
The International Court of Justice has said that the world’s richest industrial countries will have to reduce the immediate risk of climate change by reducing gas emissions.
Failure to pay for this responsibility may face litigation by countries affected by climate change in some cases.
Legal experts and environmental groups welcomed the decision of the world court, stating that it is a win for small islands and states near the sea, demanding the international court to convince the state’s responsibilities.
International Court Judge Yuzi Esawa said that the respective countries have been bound to handle strict responsibilities imposed on them due to environmental agreements and this failure is a violation of international law.
These countries have to cooperate to clean gas emissions. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, global warming should be placed below 1.5 ° C.
Under international law, human rights of clean, healthy and sustainable environment are necessary for benefits from other human rights. The decision states that the emission of greenhouse gases is the result of human activity which is not limited to any area.
Historically rich industrial countries are responsible for more emissions. These rich countries should play a leading role in solving the problem.
According to Green Peace Legal Expert Danilo Goreco, the decision of fifteen judges of the International Court of Justice is not necessary for all, but in the future, it will definitely feel legal and political weight in environmental matters and it will not be possible to ignore it.
This is the beginning of a new era of environmental accountability globally. Sebastian Duke of Center for International Environmental Law said that after the decision, cases could be registered against the major countries involved in gas emissions.
According to London’s Grand Research Institute on Climate Change, environmental litigation has intensified and 3,000 cases have been registered in sixty countries alone in June.