Vanuatu has strongly criticized the United States and China for defending the status quo on climate change at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. The island nation, which is one of the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, argued that the US and China’s remarks were disappointing and reflected a lack of commitment to reducing emissions.
Representatives from Vanuatu opened ICJ proceedings by calling for an opinion that would hold “a handful of readily identifiable states” accountable for their role in exacerbating climate change. The court’s ruling is not binding, but it could serve as a major precedent for future lawsuits citing the impacts of climate change.
The US and China defended the status quo, arguing that existing treaties and commitments should be used to guide climate policy. They claimed that these agreements had failed to motivate substantial reductions in emissions from major greenhouse gas emitters.
Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change and environment, Ralph Regenvanu, expressed disappointment with the statements made by Australia, the US, Saudi Arabia, and China during the ICJ proceedings. He noted that these countries are among the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters and have failed to take sufficient action to reduce their emissions.
The criticism from Vanuatu comes as the international community is grappling with the consequences of climate change, which was highlighted at the recent COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Azerbaijan. The conference concluded with an agreement that many countries deemed disappointing, particularly for vulnerable nations that are already feeling the impacts of climate change.
Source: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5022307-vanuatu-criticizes-us-china-climate-change-remarks-icj