World's Top Court Rules Healthy Environment Is a Human Right

States have a legal duty to stop the production and consumption of fossil fuels, the world's top court has ruled, and failing to prevent harm to the climate could result in them being ordered to pay reparations.

- Isabella Kaminski

In a landmark advisory opinion on climate change published yesterday, the international court of justice (ICJ) said states must prevent harm to the climate system and failing to do so could result in financial compensation and other forms of restitution.

Presenting the 133-page document to a packed court in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Yuji Iwasawa, the president of the ICJ, said climate breakdown had "severe and far-reaching" consequences that affected both natural ecosystems and people. "These consequences underscore an urgent existential threat."