If an international court told the Western world to jump off a cliff, would we do it? We may be about to find out. The UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ruled on Wednesday that wealthy nations must meet their environmental targets, or else face being sued by the states most affected by climate change.
The case was brought to the ICJ by a group of law students from the Pacific Islands—where countries like Vanuatu are particularly at risk from rising sea levels—and was supported by 132 nations in total. As part of the ruling, Judge Yuji Iwasawa also called climate change an “urgent and existential threat,” said that a healthy environment is a human right, and declared that “states must cooperate to achieve concrete emission-reduction targets.” Those who fail to reduce their fossil fuel consumption could expect to cough up “full reparations to injured states in the form of restitution, compensation and satisfaction provided that the general conditions of the law of state responsibility are met.”
Related: Was this Carney’s plan to implement his eco-nuttery?
“Canada”, is officially over.@fancypants_s https://t.co/ABc6LPVy5r pic.twitter.com/Ng2SyNbKP5
— Auntie Polly (@auntie_polly) July 26, 2025
h/t Auntie Polly
