Overview

• The July advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice affirmed state obligations to protect the climate, treat 1.5°C as a non‑negotiable limit, and implement evidence‑based emissions cuts, warning that state support for fossil fuels may be internationally wrongful.
• Vanuatu’s climate minister Ralph Regenvanu says a simple General Assembly majority is enough to pass a resolution endorsing the opinion, with a vote expected after COP30 following a week of coalition‑building in New York.
• Backers argue the opinion can be invoked in domestic courts to hold governments to their commitments, while scholars say it systematizes binding law and will drive legislative, regulatory and judicial changes.
• Regenvanu points to entrenched fossil‑fuel influence as the main obstacle, citing U.S. policy rollbacks, rescinded climate finance and industry spending, including tax incentives for oil and gas reported under the current administration.
• Legal commentators note gaps the ICJ left open, including specific timelines, clearer corporate responsibilities and fuller recognition of indigenous knowledge, which will shape how states implement the ruling.