The (ICJ) began its first hearings on Monday to clarify what countries are legally required to do to combat .
It is the largest case in the world court’s history.
The outcome of the hearings, which will last for two weeks, could result in grounds for establishing legal obligations worldwide.
Over two weeks, in the Pacific Ocean will spearhead the hearing.
“We want the court to confirm that the conduct that has wrecked the climate is unlawful,” Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, who leads Vanuatu’s legal team, told the Associated Press.
More than a hundred countries and organisations are expected to make submissions on the topic, the highest number ever before the Hague-based court.
The hearings come a week after where wealthy nations agreed to provide $300 billion per year in climate finance for developing nations — an outcome critics slammed as inadequate.
The hearings will continue until December 13. The court’s opinion is expected to be delivered in 2025.
Why is climate change being discussed at the ICJ?
For years, small island nations lobbied to get the UN General Assembly to ask the International Court of Justice last year for an opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.”
“We are on the frontline of climate change impact,” said Vanuatu’s climate envoy Ralph Regenvanu.
“Our call for an advisory opinion from the ICJ on climate change is at a pivotal moment… one that sets clear the international legal obligations for climate action.”
While activists are hopeful legal implications for violators others are holding a sceptical given that the UN’s highest court might take even years to deliver.
Any decision will be non-binding because the court has no concrete means to enforce its rulings.
mfi/zc (AFP, AP, Reuters)
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