The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted by consensus a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of States in respect of climate change, describing this challenge as unprecedented, the UNGA affirmed that the well-being of present and future generations depends on addressing climate change immediately and urgently.

The resolution, which was supported by a large number of Member States, including the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu said that the well-being of present and future generations depends on addressing climate change quickly and urgently.

During the presentation of the draft resolution before its adoption Prime Minister of Vanuatu Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau spoke about the situation related to climate change, which has had devastating effects on many countries and peoples around the world and that the situation may deteriorate significantly due to the absence of immediate and bold action.

He noted that Vanuatu had been hit by two back-to-back severe cyclones within days, indicating that Mozambique was hit a few weeks ago by the devastating Cyclone Freddy, which set a record for its length of time and intensity.

He referred to the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, the floods in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam, the extreme rise in temperatures in Canada and southern Europe last summer, and the floods in Germany, explaining that all these events resulted in loss of life and destruction, adding that the countries most affected are often the least contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

The General Assembly resolution asked the court to issue an advisory opinion on states’ obligations under international law to protect the climate system and other environmental aspects from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.

The UNGA resolution requested the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion on the obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.

In turn, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recalled that earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that humans are responsible for virtually all global heating over the last 200 years.

The report by the IPCC further showed that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, is achievable – but time is running out.

In this context, the Secretary-General said that “the window is rapidly closing to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis,” emphasizing that “this is the critical decade for climate action.” He said that “those that contributed least to the climate crisis are already facing both climate hell and high-water,” adding that for some countries, climate threats are a death sentence.

“Advisory opinions of the Court the principal judicial organ of the United Nations have tremendous importance and can have a long-standing impact on the international legal order,” he said.

“Advisory opinions can provide much-needed clarification on existing international legal obligations,” he added.

“If and when given, such an opinion would assist the General Assembly, the UN and Member States to take the bolder and stronger climate action that our world so desperately needs, Guterres indicated.

He pointed out that “Climate justice is both a moral imperative and a prerequisite for effective global climate action.” The UNGA resolution recalled the scientific consensus that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the dominant cause of the global warming observed since the mid-twentieth century and that human-induced climate change has caused widespread damage to nature and people that exceeds natural variability of climate, with the most vulnerable people and systems disproportionately affected.

The UNGA resolution stressed the urgent need to expand action and support, including financing, capacity-building, and technology transfer, and expressed grave concern about not achieving the goal of the participation of developed countries in mobilizing USD 100 billion annually by 2020 to support developing countries in the field of climate. (QNA)

Source: Qatar News Agency