Vanuatuans celebrate climate win at International Court of Justice

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Pacific Island leaders are welcoming a declaration by the world's highest court that countries have a legal obligation to tackle climate change. In a non-binding advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice says a breach of that obligation constitutes an internationally wrongful act that could open the door to reparations.

Transcript

00:00There's been a quiet celebration amongst human rights advocates and also climate change activists

00:14here in the country, and also this sense of pride among people who actually play the role

00:21in ensuring that a small island nation in the Pacific, Vanuatu, has lead that leadership

00:26with the support of other countries to take that initiative forward to the ICJ.

00:33Lily-Rose, why is this ruling so particularly important to the people of Vanuatu and the wider area?

00:41It is because climate change is not something of the future. It's something that we live with at the

00:46moment. Just last year, Vanuatu has faced a big earthquake here in Vanuatu with a lot of buildings

00:54still to be a demolition, still to be repealed. So people's lives are affected, like elsewhere in

01:01the Pacific.

01:01What happens next?

01:04So for Vanuatu, there are plans. The government have spoken to the public relations officer of

01:10the government. He has stated that they will have other steps going forward. Those steps are yet to

01:16be made known. But we are looking at the governments taking the Paris Agreement and parties to the Paris

01:26Agreement to ensure that they held up their applications under that agreement. At the same time,

01:33there is also, while it is still an advisory opinion, there is clear legal precedent. So it also gives the

01:43Pacific more leverage when negotiating with wealthier and higher emitting countries. Year at home in

01:52Vanuatu, the focus will remain on resilience, repeating from last year's earthquake and continue to prepare for

01:58what lies ahead. But with this ruling in end, Vanuatu and the Pacific now have something powerful,

02:04global legal recognition that the fight is just and that the world is obligated to act.

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