• The ICJ ruled that states have a legal obligation to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
• Failure to address climate change could result in reparations for affected nations.
• A "clean, healthy, and sustainable environment" is recognized as a human right.
• The ruling may drive future climate litigation globally and reshape international climate agreements.
• Vanuatu, a small Pacific island nation, led the case supported by over 130 countries.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' highest court, issued a pivotal advisory opinion on July 23, 2025, establishing that nations have a legal obligation to combat climate change and take adequate measures to protect the environment. The court's ruling emphasized that failing to do so could constitute an "internationally wrongful act," thus opening the door to possible reparations from countries responsible for contributing to climate-related damages, according to Dawn, Africanews, and Los Angeles Times.

Judge Yuji Iwasawa highlighted that greenhouse gas emissions result from human activities that are not geographically limited and stressed the importance of nation-states taking robust actions to fulfill their responsibilities under international climate treaties. The case, spearheaded by Vanuatu and supported by a coalition of over 130 countries, underscored the aspirations of vulnerable nations facing existential threats from climate change, said Channel News Asia and Reuters.

This landmark ruling not only enforces climate accountability but also establishes that the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment must be considerably protected, opening avenues for future legal actions, including domestic lawsuits against states and corporations contributing to environmental degradation. The court’s opinion could become a vital legal precedent for climate activists and vulnerable states alike, according to South China Morning Post and Anadolu Agency.

Supporters, including youth climate activists, gathered to celebrate outside the ICJ as they saw the advisory ruling as a significant victory in the broader climate justice movement, echoing sentiments shared by leaders and activists urging immediate actions against climate change, noted The Jakarta Post and BBC.