ICJ Landmark Climate Opinion Declares Legal Obligation To Protect Current and Future Generations

TIME

The United Nations’s top court announced Wednesday that if countries fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change, they could be in violation of international law.

Transcript

00:00The court concludes that the duty of states to prevent significant environmental harm

00:06applies in the context of climate change

00:10and that this duty forms part of the most directly relevant applicable law.

00:20Concerning the duty to cooperate, the court recalls

00:24that it lies at the core of the Charter of the United Nations.

00:30And it has been spelled out in the Foundational Declaration on Friendly Relations.

00:37The court has held that the adoption by states of this text

00:42affords an indication of their opinion juris as to custom international law.

00:49That observation also applies to the duty to cooperate

00:54insofar as it finds expression in many binding and non-binding instruments

01:01relating specifically to the environment.

01:04The duty to cooperate is a central obligation under the Climate Change Treaties

01:12and other environmental treaties.

01:15In view of the related practice of states, the court considers

01:19that the duty of states to cooperate for the protection of the environment

01:24is a rule whose customary character has been established.

01:28The court considers that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment

01:34is a precondition for the enjoyment of many human rights

01:39such as the right to life, right to health

01:42and the right to an adequate standard of living

01:45including access to water, food and housing.

01:48The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment

01:53results from the interdependence between human rights

01:58and the protection of the environment.

02:02Consequently, insofar as state parties to human rights treaties

02:07are required to guarantee the effective enjoyment of such rights,

02:12it is difficult to see how these obligations can be fulfilled

02:17without at the same time ensuring the protection of the right

02:23to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right.

02:28The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment

02:32is therefore inherent in the enjoyment of other human rights.

02:37The court thus concludes that under international law

02:42the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment

02:46is essential for the enjoyment of other human rights.

02:51Newsperscared

02:56Land

02:57Undoubtedly

02:58слишком

02:59Fin

03:07So

03:09what

03:10V

03:11Why

03:12You

03:13Why

03:14Why

03:15Why

03:17Why

03:18Why

03:18Because

03:19When

03:19You

03:20Why

Category

Transcript

Recommended