Clean, healthy environment a human right, top UN court rules

The International Court of Justice in a Wednesday advisory opinion said that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right. Countries that fail to combat climate change could be in violation of international law, according to the nonbinding opinion, backed unanimously by the court’s 15 judges. Countries affected by climate change could also sue other nations for reparations, according to the decision, which filled over 130 pages.

The international court has no police enforcement powers, and its jurisdiction is based on the consent of the states to which it is open. The United States in recent decades has accepted the court’s jurisdiction on a discretionary basis.

The world court also held that countries are obligated to work toward an atmospheric temperature target of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The court cited the legally binding 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change response as part of its decision. The United States withdrew this year from the agreement, following an executive order from President Donald Trump.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s story on the background of the International Court of Justice and its relationship with the United States.