Australia may be target of legal action on climate
Australia said that an international court has the obligation to prevent countries’ damage to climate change and to correct the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
The non -binding consultation view was published by 15 referee panels at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the Netherlands.
This leads countries to potentially sue each other on climate change effects.
The Social Justice Group Actionaid Australia, lobbies for women’s rights, the advice is a call for a wake up for the workers’ federal government.
“This decision is a powerful tool that we can use to demand that those who are most responsible for this climate crisis to be responsible for this climate crisis, Fl said the group’s Vanuatu Country Manager Flore Vano.
Mrs. Fino, who traveled to Hague last year to witness as a part of the court procedures, said that women and girls on the front of the climate crisis could fight for justice and accountability.
Actionaid Australian Executive Director Michelle Higelin said the decision is open.
“Australia should do its best to keep global heating up to 1.5 degrees,” he said.
“This is not a choice, this is the obligation to take a stronger and more urgent action.”
Actionaid wants the government’s transition from fossil fuels to the “urgent” transition and to increase financing to low -income countries, including in the Pacific to support the government’s climate adaptation efforts.
Climate Analytics, a Global Science and Policy Institute, Australian-Pacific region office, said the court pointed out potentially serious legal consequences.
If countries do not demonstrate the climate objectives compatible with the Paris Agreement to limit pre -industrial levels over 1.5C, traditional international law can be traded.
“More importantly, these obligations apply to countries, whether or not the Paris Agreement parties,” he added.
The current commitment to the Paris Agreement of Australia includes reduction of 43 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and obtaining net zero emissions by 2050.
The view of the World Court comes after Vanuatu University legal students claim that the people of the Pacific Island countries have unjustly carry the burden of climate change compared to high -emitting economies.
President Judge Yuji Iwasawa said, “The deterioration of the climate system and other parts of the environment benefits from a series of rights protected by human rights law,” he said. idea.
The court decision “confirms that the obligations of the states require measures to protect the climatic system. idea.
The 133 -page view answered two questions by the United Nations General Assembly to the UN court.
First: What are the countries that have to make climate and environment from human green greenhouse gas emissions within the scope of international law?
The second was: Is it about legal consequences for governments when actions or lack of action for governments and the climate and the environment significantly damage the environment?
A response from the federal government is sought.
Vanuatu Climate Change Harmonization Minister Ralph Regevanu described the court’s opinion as “a very important course correction of this critical importance”.
“For the first time in history, ICJ spoke directly about the biggest threat faced by humanity,” he said.
Australian Associated Press is a beating heart of Australian news. AAP has been the only independent national Newswire of Australia and has been providing reliable and fast news content to the media industry, the government and the corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
