A RESOLUTION passed by the UN General Assembly has cemented the legal obligations of states to combat climate change, marking a major diplomatic victory for Vanuatu and other Pacific islands on the front lines of rising sea levels.
The initiative, backed by a coalition including Costa Rica, New Zealand, Fiji, and Portugal, was adopted on May 20 with 141 votes in favour. Australia voted yes, while eight nations—including the United States, Russia, and Saudi Arabia—voted no. A further 28 countries abstained.
The resolution endorses an advisory opinion issued in July 2025 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The world court found that countries have an inescapable duty under international law to act “urgently and equitably” to protect the climate system. The ICJ also established that governments can be held legally liable if their failure to meet commitments causes significant harm to the environment or to other territories, especially developing nations.
The new resolution urges member states to align their policies to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement. It demands “deep, rapid, and sustained” cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and an accelerated transition to clean energy.
For the first time, the text also enshrines the protection of climate-related human rights, including the right to a healthy environment. It calls for increased funding for adaptation and resilience in the most vulnerable countries.
For Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands, the crisis is already unfolding. They face coastal flooding, saltwater intrusion ruining aquifers and farmland, accelerated erosion, and extreme weather events that have destroyed homes and infrastructure.
However, the resolution faced resistance from major fossil fuel producers in New York. This forced proponents to leave out stricter proposals on international mechanisms for economic reparations.
The vote comes just months before the COP31 climate summit, scheduled for 9–20 November 2026 in Antalya, Turkey. A pre-COP ministerial meeting will be held in the Pacific, where vulnerable island states hope to place sea-level rise and climate finance at the centre of global negotiations.
Source: infobae.com
