Small island states win climate-related judgment in battle against rising seas

Polluters obliged to go beyond Paris accord to protect marine environments, court rules

BERLIN A group of small island states, including Antigua and Barbuda and the Bahamas, secured a win on climate change in an international court on May 21 as they seek to combat rising sea levels.

In its first climate-related judgment, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) said that greenhouse gas emissions absorbed by the ocean are considered marine pollution and countries are obliged to protect marine environments by going further than required under the Paris climate agreement.

The opinion was requested by a group of nine island nations facing climate-driven rises in sea levels.

The opinion is not legally binding but can help guide countries in their climate policy and can be used in other cases as legal precedent.