The International Court of Justice, the top United Nations court, decided Wednesday that countries would be violating international law if they fail to do their part to protect the planet.

It's been hailed as a "planetary scale" win for climate advocates pushing for stronger action against carbon pollution.The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has declared nations have an obligation under international law to prevent climate change — and that they may be liable to pay compensation if they fail to do so.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a unanimous opinion on July 23, 2025, that climate change is "an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet.

The ruling was the result of years of efforts by activists and small island nations and initiated by Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, a group of young Pacific Islanders facing the existential threat of rising sea levels,

The International Court of Justice’s ruling that countries have a legal duty to curb climate change was the result of a yearslong campaign that began with university students.

In a historic advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice ruled that access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a fundamental human right.

Papua New Guinea has proved it's worth at the International Court of Justice on climate change. For the first time, four State lawyers, including Minister for Justice and Attorney General Pila Niningi and Secretary for the Department of Justice Dr Eric Kwa,

The ruling’s scope is limited to two American activists, but it represents a striking, if tentative, blow to the president’s efforts to penalize and isolate the world’s highest criminal court.