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.

International Court of Justice determines countries are responsible for corporate emissions and must cooperate to achieve concrete emission reduction targets.

The World Court's climate change decision has been hailed a "planetary scale" win for climate advocates pushing for stronger action against carbon pollution.

The International Court of Justice’s ruling that countries have a legal duty to curb climate change was the result of a years-long 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.

The United Nations' highest court will deliver an opinion on Wednesday that is likely to determine the course of future climate action across the world. Known as an advisory opinion, the deliberation of the 15 judges of the International Court of Justice in The Hague is legally non-binding.

The island nation of Vanuatu prevailed in its landmark request to legally compel countries to cut emissions and compensate places facing impacts from climate change.

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.