States urged to support UN resolution operationalising ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate obligations by IISD, OHCHR, ICJ, WMO, agencies 10:22am 19th May, 2026   UN experts urge states to support United Nations General Assembly resolution operationalising ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate obligations. (OHCHR)    All states must support a UN General Assembly resolution upholding the 2025 Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on climate change obligations, UN experts said today, expressing concern about attempts to block discussion of the proposal.    “The timing of the General Assembly resolution is critical,” the experts said, as the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu leads negotiations on the resolution during the second half of May.    The proposal comes amidst new data indicating that the 1.5°C limit on global temperature rise under the Paris Agreement could be exceeded as early as May 2029, and recent cyclones, hurricanes, forest fires and floods across Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Africa have already caused severe human rights impacts and losses.    “The Advisory Opinion was unanimous in response to a consensus request from the General Assembly,” they recalled. “The Opinion is based on a range of international legally binding sources of international law on how to effectively prevent further climate harm and its devastating impacts on lives, societies and economies.”    “We are gravely concerned about attempts to block the resolution from being considered at the UNGA,” the experts said. “States must comply with their obligations to cooperate in the effective protection of the environment, the climate system and human rights.”    “There is a disturbing pattern of growing obstruction across UN processes against explicit references to fossil fuels and the ICJ Advisory Opinion, including at the Human Rights Council,” they warned.    They noted that States at the UN Climate Conference of November 2025 (COP30) were unable to uphold the legal and scientific standards clarified by the ICJ, or agree on meaningful outcomes on climate mitigation.    “States must not delay “difficult” conversations,” the experts said, calling on countries to step up efforts to find inclusive, meaningful ways to comply with international obligations and effectively protect people from inter-linked planetary crises, growing economic inequality and armed aggression connected with the fossil fuel-based economy.    “We applaud over 80 States from different regions that pointed out the problematic dynamics at COP30 and launched a separate multilateral conference to advance concrete and fair action to transition away from fossil fuels, under the leadership of Colombia and the Netherlands.”    The draft resolution could support a collaborative and inclusive approach to fulfilling States’ obligations to legislate on the fossil fuel phase-out, remove fossil fuel subsidies, document climate harm and respond to reparation claims, the experts said.    These efforts could complement the Paris Agreement’s Loss and Damage Fund, which remains severely underfunded and in need of reform to support affected communities.    “Instead of resorting to adversarial measures, States must see this resolution as something that will benefit them all, through mutual learning and international cooperation on the climate crisis that is spreading across all continents,” they said.    The experts recalled that reparations identified by the ICJ overlap with States’ pre-existing obligations to prevent environmental and human rights harm, conserve and restore ecosystems, and fund effective environmental action in countries most affected by climate change and least responsible for it.    “A UN General Assembly resolution will set the direction for multilateral action towards the effective protection of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, including a safe climate, as a precondition for peace and the enjoyment of all human rights by present and future generations,” they said.    United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk hails landmark ICJ ruling affirming States’ human rights obligations with respect to climate change.    The Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on States’ obligations regarding climate change is a sweeping victory for all those who are fighting to protect a safe climate and planet for all humanity, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said.    “This Opinion by the world’s highest court is an authoritative, clear and indisputable affirmation of the far-ranging impacts of climate change and the broad extent of obligations of States, under human rights law and beyond, to act urgently to stem the damage,” the High Commissioner said. “It is also a testament to the power of the inspiring Pacific Islands students’ movement, and many other activists, whose initiative led Vanuatu and other Pacific Island States to start the process at the UN General Assembly to request this Opinion.”    The Opinion, which was issued on Wednesday, makes clear that human rights law and obligations apply in the context of climate change, and must be taken into full account by States. This includes the human right to life, as well as to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, which is foundational for the effective enjoyment of all human rights, according to the Court.    According to the decision, States have a duty “to use all means at their disposal to prevent activities carried out within their jurisdiction or control from causing significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment”.    The “failure of a State to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions - including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licences or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies - may constitute an internationally wrongful act which is attributable to that State”, the ICJ added. The legal consequences may require States to cease harmful activities, provide assurances and guarantees of non-repetition, including through effective regulation of the private sector, and provide reparations for climate harms, the court said.    “The emphasis by the Court on international human rights law sends a powerful message,” Türk said. In its analysis, the Court referenced the work of the UN Human Rights Office and other human rights mechanisms, at international and regional levels.    “Importantly, this landmark legal position affirms the central role of human rights law in addressing the devastating consequences of the climate crisis. It acknowledges the existential character of that crisis and finds that climate harms - despite all their complexities - are actionable under familiar principles of international law. The Court has provided a roadmap for people and Governments to seek the transformative change and accountability we need in the fight against climate change, now and in the future.    “States now urgently need to take meaningful action through legislation, policy change, resource mobilisation and international cooperation, to stop the climate crisis from worsening and open paths towards due reparations for those affected,” the High Commissioner added.    http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/un-experts-urge-states-support-general-assembly-resolution-operationalising http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/turk-hails-landmark-icj-ruling-affirming-states-human-rights-obligations http://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/institute-responds-to-international-court-of-justice-advisory-opinion/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/02/global-governments-must-use-new-un-general-assembly-resolution-to-turn-icjs-advisory-opinion-on-climate-change-into-robust-action http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/16/governments-should-support-vanuatus-un-climate-resolution http://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/climate-action-and-accountability-for-survival http://theelders.org/news/climate-and-rule-law-why-states-must-step-now http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/un-resolution-advancing-icj-climate-ruling-by-ralph-regenvanu-2026-05/    http://www.ciel.org/news/icj-climate-opinion-ends-fossil-fuel-impunity/ http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?14459466/ICJ-advisory-opinion-climate-change http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/global-international-court-of-justices-landmark-opinion-bolsters-fight-for-climate-justice-and-accountability/ http://blog.ucs.org/delta-merner/five-reasons-why-the-icj-climate-advisory-opinion-matters/ http://www.clientearth.org/latest/press-office/press-releases/world-s-highest-court-confirms-countries-must-act-to-avert-climate-catastrophe-in-a-once-in-a-generation-legal-decision/ http://earth.org/landmark-moment-for-climate-justice-reactions-pour-in-after-icj-delivers-historic-opinion-on-states-climate-change-obligations/    May 2026    Final text of UN climate resolution released ahead of 20 May vote - Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change    The final text of the United Nations General Assembly resolution responding to the International Court of Justice's 2025 climate Advisory Opinion has been released, marking a pivotal step in the global effort to translate legal consensus into coordinated political action. The resolution is expected to come to a vote on 20 May 2026.    The resolution's objectives are clear. It seeks to give effect to the ICJ's Advisory Opinion by establishing coordinated global follow-up, reaffirming that international law — including human rights law, the law of the sea, and customary international law — applies to State conduct on climate change.    It calls for implementation pathways consistent with the Court's findings, supports continued attention to the rights of present and future generations, and anchors climate cooperation in the legal obligations States already owe one another and to the planet. We call on all states to co-sponsor the resolution and vote yes on 20 May.    http://www.pisfcc.org/news/final-text-of-un-climate-resolution-released-ahead-of-20-may-vote http://www.pisfcc.org/s/Final-UNGA-Resolution-ICJ-AO-CC-30426.pdf http://www.unep.org/championsofearth/index.php/laureates/2025/pacific-island-students-fighting-climate-change    * ICJ Summary: Obligation of States in respect of climate change (7pp): http://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/187/187-20250723-pre-01-00-en.pdf    * ICJ complete advisory: Obligation of States in respect of climate change (140pp): http://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/187/187-20250723-adv-01-00-en.pdf    http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165475 http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1t/k1tey5ro2w http://www.icj-cij.org/case/187/press-releases    24 Apr. 2026    The First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels aims to advance collective efforts to phase out fossil fuels. The conference will identify legal, economic, and social pathways to phase out fossil fuels.    The Governments of Colombia and the Netherlands announced their intent to co-host the conference after the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) negotiations did not result in an agreement on phasing out fossil fuels. In response, the governments proposed continuing the momentum for an equitable roadmap for the global phaseout of fossil fuels.    The conference will advance international cooperation on transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction in line with the ‘Belem Declaration on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels’.    The conference takes place from 28-29 April, bringing together countries, subnational actors, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, scientists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders. Over 60 countries are taking part in the Conference.    The event will serve as “the first implementation-focused global Conference, intended to support practical action by those already prepared to move forward.”    The event will not conclude with a negotiated outcome, but will “generate shared understanding and actionable guidance that can help accelerate a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.”    Apr. 2026    A new economic power could spark a global retreat from fossil fuels, by Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope for Covering Climate Now.    The Iran war is also a climate war. Beyond its terrible human costs, the war’s disruptions of oil, gas, fertilizer and other shipments is another reminder of the risks inherent in basing the world economy on fossil fuels.    The climate system with ever expanding greenhouse gas emissions is already “very close” to a point of no return, scientists say, after which runaway global warming could not be stopped. Nevertheless, those committed to fossil fuels around the world continue doing their utmost to stave off a desperately needed course correction.    Now, a little noticed ray of hope may be peeking over the horizon.    At the UN Cop30 climate summit last November, Saudi Arabia led a group of petrostates in vetoing calls to develop a “roadmap” to phase out fossil fuels globally; indeed, the words “fossil fuels” were not even mentioned in the final text agreed at Cop30. But the 85 countries on the losing end of that veto may soon turn the tables.    Many of those governments will gather in Colombia on 28-29 April for a conference to begin a global transition away from oil, gas and coal. Critically, the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels will not be governed by UN rules, which require consensus, but by majority rule, thus preventing a handful of countries from sabotaging progress as petrostates did at Cop30.    What’s more, the underlying terrain of this conference will no longer be principally politics, but economics, the market forces that shape the world economy.    The conference is co-sponsored by Colombia and the Netherlands, with organizers confirming that they have invited countries that endorsed the roadmap proposal at Cop30, as well as leaders of sub-national governments.    The conference aims to begin drawing up the roadmap blocked at Cop30. Energy and environment ministers of governments comprising a “coalition of the willing” will share plans to transition their economies away from oil, gas and coal without leaving workers and communities behind. Joining them will be climate activists, leaders of Indigenous peoples, trade union representatives and other civil society voices, sharing ideas and experiences on how to make the abstract goal of phasing out fossil fuels a practical reality.    The goal of the conference is to agree on “actionable solutions” that follow-up meetings can refine so governments around the world can implement them.    One area of focus will be how to phase out the $7tn a year governments spend subsidizing fossil fuels – but to do so without punishing communities, workers and tax bases that rely on such subsidies.    At least 85 countries at Cop30 backed developing a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels. Included among them were the global north states Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Spain – the world’s third, sixth, seventh and 12th biggest economies. Brazil and Mexico, the world’s 10th and 13th biggest economies, also backed the measure.    Combine the gross national products of those 85 countries and the total is $33.3tn. That’s larger than the $30.6tn GNP of the US, the world’s biggest economy, and considerably larger than the $19.4tn GNP of China, the world’s second-biggest economy.    This gives those 85 countries enormous potential leverage. If those attending the Just Transition conference can outline a credible roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels for the wider group to unite behind, it could send a clear signal to financial markets and government ministries around the world.    “A coalition of that scale signaling its intent to move beyond fossil fuels would send an unmistakable message that the age of oil, gas, and coal is ending, and the smart money is shifting,” Mohamed Adow, director of the non-profit Power Shift Africa, said in an interview.    Money follows money. If a large chunk of the global economy announces that it intends to leave fossil fuels behind – and releases transparent, convincing plans for doing so – private investors and government planners everywhere would have to question whether sinking new money into oil exploration, coal mining, or gas terminals makes financial sense or would instead leave them with virtually worthless stranded assets.    Much the same thing happened after the 2015 Paris agreement. When governments pledged to limit temperature rise to “well below” 2C and to aim for 1.5C, public and private sector leaders began changing course. Fossil fuel expansions were scaled back, renewable energy investments boosted.    Before the Paris agreement, the planet was on track toward a hellish 4C of temperature rise. Five years later, the emissions curve had bent to a 2.7C future – still much too high, but a step in the right direction, and proof that change is possible.    The Just Transition conference underscores a point often missed in the usual narrative on climate change: the overwhelming majority of the world’s people – 80-89% of them – want their governments to take stronger climate action. Scientists have long been clear that phasing out fossil fuels is imperative to limit global warming to an amount our civilization can survive.    * Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope are co-founders of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now    http://transitionawayconference.com/ http://transitionawayconference.com/press-releases http://transitionawayconference.com/contributions http://enb.iisd.org/transition-away-fossil-fuels-1-summary http://genevasolutions.news/climate-environment/a-breath-of-fresh-air-first-conference-to-quit-fossil-fuels-ends-in-optimism http://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/santa-marta-may-be-a-game-changing-moment/ http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?15886841/WWF-Santa-Marta-marks-a-pivotal-milestone-in-implementing-the-fossil-fuel-transition http://climatenetwork.org/2026/04/30/santa-marta-plants-the-seeds-of-a-fossil-free-future-civil-society-will-hold-governments-to-account http://www.ciel.org/news/santa-marta-fossil-fuel-phaseout/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/04/santa-marta-conference http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/04/fossil-fuel-treaty/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ior40/0863/2026/en/ http://www.carbonbrief.org/santa-marta-key-outcomes-from-first-summit-on-transitioning-away-from-fossil-fuels/ http://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/climate-action-from-geneva-to-santa-marta-first-conference-on-transitioning-away-from-fossil-fuels/ http://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/briefing-pack http://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/latest#newsroom    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/colombia-climate-talks-end-fossil-fuel-phaseout http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/07/iran-war-oil-phase-out-fossil-fuels http://theconversation.com/countries-must-back-commitments-to-transition-from-fossil-fuels-with-action-282118 http://tinyurl.com/5art45d3 http://www.iisd.org/events/inside-first-conference-transitioning-away-fossil-fuels http://www.iisd.org/articles/press-release/governments-five-times-more-public-money-fossil-fuels-than-renewables http://iwgia.org/en/news/6136-a-just-future-beyond-fossil-fuels-indigenous-peoples-rights.html http://350.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Out-Report-Pocket-Full-Report.pdf http://unfccc.int/news/un-climate-chief-in-brussels-fossil-fuel-dependency-is-ripping-away-national-security-and http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/1167135 http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/earths-climate-swings-increasingly-out-of-balance http://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3060/wmo-presser-state-of-the-global-climate-2025-report/9190 http://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/significant-acceleration-of-global-warming-since-2015 http://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/fossil-fuels-and-energy-security-what-s-the-issue/    http://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260508-eu-monitor-says-sea-temperatures-near-all-time-highs-as-el-nino-looms http://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cvgzn11v421o http://climate.copernicus.eu/sea-surface-temperatures-approach-record-levels-march http://www.who.int/europe/news/item/17-05-2026-climate-change-is-a-health-crisis---and-fixing-it-is-a-health-opportunity http://www.who.int/europe/publications/m/item/pan-european-commission-on-climate-and-health--call-to-action    Apr. 2026    Extreme heat pushes agrifood systems to the brink. (WMO/FAO)    The frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat events have risen sharply over the past half century, and the risks to agrifood systems and ecosystems are set to soar in the future, according to “Extreme heat and agriculture,” a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).    “This work highlights how extreme heat is a major risk multiplier, exerting mounting pressure on crops, livestock, fisheries and forests, and on the communities and economies that depend upon them.” says the FAO.    “Extreme heat is increasingly defining the conditions under which agrifood systems operate,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “More than simply an isolated climatic hazard, it acts as a compounding risk factor that magnifies existing weaknesses across agricultural systems” she said.    Extreme heat is threatening the world’s food systems, with livestock experiencing stress and crop yields falling, putting the livelihoods of more than a billion people in peril.    Food supply in some areas is being “pushed to the brink” by increasingly common and severe heatwaves, on land and at sea.    Farmers will find it increasingly difficult to work safely for as many as 250 days of the year in already hot regions including much of India and south Asia, tropical sub-Saharan Africa and swathes of Central and South America.    Livestock are already experiencing an increase in mortality rates, as heat stress begins for common species at about 25C. Extreme heat reduces yields from dairy cows and cuts the fat and protein content of milk. Pigs and chickens are unable to sweat and, as temperatures rise, face digestive tract breakdowns, organ failure and cardiovascular shock.    Yields begin to decline at temperatures above 30C for most agricultural crops, with damage including weakened cell walls and the production of toxins. The yields of maize in some areas have declined by about 10%. Wheat has fallen by nearly as much, and is projected to decline further as temperatures rise to more than 1.5C above preindustrial levels. Ocean heatwaves are also killing fish, as heat reduces the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, leading to mass decline in populations..    http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/extreme-heat-pushes-agrifood-systems-brink http://openknowledge.fao.org/items/f635e477-b37a-46f8-bc10-34d56cec6332 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/world-food-systems-extreme-heat-farming-un-report http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ade45f http://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2025/uk-us-ethiopia-see-food-price-shocks-from-climate-extremes-raising-concerns-for-child-health http://insideclimatenews.org/news/21072025/weather-extremes-driving-up-food-prices/ http://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/21/rising-food-prices-driven-by-climate-crisis-threaten-worlds-poorest-report-finds http://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/why-engaging-with-food-insecurity-in-the-context-of-climate-change-is-increasingly-important/    Mar. 2026    Food security in a warming world - Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)    Climate change is steadily weakening the foundations of food security: reducing food availability, making food less accessible, worsening malnutrition and diminishing the effectiveness of food use. And as shocks repeat, it turns short-term stress into long-term fragility.    These pressures are felt most severely in countries and communities with the least capacity to cope. Yet, many measures used in food security analysis capture only part of the picture and some indices do not cover the countries most at risk.    To address this gap, we constructed a new Food Security Index for 162 countries, which assesses performance across four distinct pillars: availability, access, utilisation and sustainability.    Most governments now accept climate change will likely cause significant disruption to food supplies, and that in many places it is already leading to failed harvests or lower crop yields. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) science tells us the impacts on health, and on food and water security, are already showing.    This new IIED Food Security Index offers more granular data to identify weaknesses in systems of food supply, offering policy makers more options to help withstand increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather.    The index incorporates data from a large number of sources and, allows users to examine that data as it relates to four ‘pillars’ of food security.    These are the availability, meaning existence, of adequate food; the accessibility of that food to households, for example, whether it’s affordable; its nutritional value and whether people are healthy enough to absorb those nutrients (‘utilisation’); and the sustainability, or resilience, of food systems.    Ritu Bharadwaj, the researcher behind this work, said: “Unpacking all four pillars is important because climate shocks rarely affect food security through only one channel. They tend to hit several aspects across these pillars at once, and the dominant constraint can differ between countries.    “For example, a heatwave might damage crops close to harvest time, creating an immediate pressure on availability. If instead that extreme heat prevents a family’s breadwinner from working, their lower income means they’re less able to access food even if it’s otherwise available.”    At a global scale the index reveals a deeply divided and unfair distribution of food insecurity: lower-income countries tend to score much lower than the wealthiest, and the gap only widens when the predicted effects of climate change are factored in.    Analysis shows a strong link between higher historic greenhouse gas emissions and improved food security, while entire regions that have contributed much less to global temperature rise languish towards the bottom of the rankings.    Vulnerability to the effects of climate change is correlated with both lower historic emissions and lower food security scores, a glaring injustice.    “Climate change is rapidly becoming one of the most powerful drivers of hunger and food insecurity across the world, particularly in countries where poverty, fragility, and limited fiscal space already constrain resilience,” said Renato Domith Godinho, director of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty Support Mechanism.    “This report provides important new evidence on food security outcomes… exploring how climate impacts are likely to deepen existing inequalities in food systems, with the most severe consequences seen in the most vulnerable countries.”    “In fragile and conflict-affected countries, climate change is already reshaping the realities of food security,” said Abdihakim Ainte, director of food security and climate change in the Somalia government.    “In Somalia, repeated droughts and floods are disrupting agricultural production, pastoral livelihoods and local markets, pushing vulnerable communities closer to crisis with each successive shock. When climate impacts intersect with fragility, limited fiscal space and ongoing humanitarian pressures, the risks to food security become far more severe.    “This report provides valuable new evidence on how climate change could further intensify these pressures across countries… it highlights how rising temperatures and increasing climate variability are likely to deepen existing inequalities in food systems. For countries facing fragility, strengthening food security is inseparable from strengthening resilience.”    IIED research shows investing in social protection schemes designed to pay out as soon as possible after disaster strikes can save countries billions, compared to scrambling together emergency responses afterwards. In some cases social protection schemes can also be used to create infrastructure that will lessen the impact of later climate shocks.    Support costs money, but climate-related pressures on food security is greatest on countries that often have little room for manoeuvre in fiscal terms. This means that secure, predictable finance will be important, so nations can avoid taking out new loans reactively and storing up debt interest repayment problems for later.    http://www.iied.org/any-country-truly-food-secure-climate-change-era http://www.iied.org/pathways-for-global-food-security-warming-climate http://www.iied.org/collection/iied-food-security-index http://www.iied.org/22705iied
	Next (older) news item