Latest news with #climatecampaigners
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
The ICJ's ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Today, Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history. The International Court of Justice has handed down a landmark ruling in the most significant climate decision ever issued by a court. As a barrister representing Solomon Islands in the case, I was in the courtroom to hear the judges reshape the global fight for climate justice. The world's top court resoundingly rejected conservative arguments made by Australia and other high-emitting countries such as the United States, China and Saudi Arabia seeking to justify continued fossil fuel extraction. Instead, the court made a slew of progressive statements – ones that will have far-reaching implications. Under international law, countries are now bound to rapidly reduce their emissions below 1.5 degrees of warming. Failure to do so could result in developed countries like Australia having to pay monetary compensation to developing countries or being required to rebuild infrastructure and restore ecosystems damaged by climate change. This means we could be entering a new era of climate reparations. This is a watershed moment in the global environmental movement. In a breakthrough for climate campaigners, the court specifically targeted the fossil fuel industry in its ruling and held that countries failing to take action to protect the environment from greenhouse gases – including from fossil fuel production, consumption, exploration licences or subsidies – may commit an 'internationally wrongful act.' With today's decision, that can now be punished under international law. So what implications does this have for Australia? Australia is looking to host COP31 next year and stands on the brink of releasing its updated 2035 emissions reduction target in coming months. As it does so, it may have to change its legislation and policies to rapidly curb the emissions of companies in its jurisdiction. First, the ruling puts pressure on the Albanese government to increase its ambitions for emissions reduction. The court made clear that countries must set goals under the Paris agreement which align with the 1.5C temperature target. Climate Action Tracker has found that for Australia to carry its fair share of the global emissions reduction burden, it should reduce its emissions by 76% by 2035 against a 2005 baseline. This aligns with the upper range of possible targets identified by the Climate Change Authority, which has suggested an emissions target between 65% and 75% by 2035. In light of the ICJ decision, a failure to set a target close to 75% is likely to come under legal or political challenge by other countries and domestic campaigners. Second, to comply with its international obligations, Australia will have to curb its production and use of fossil fuels. Despite its tough talk on climate change, the Albanese government has continued to approve coal, oil and gas projects at an alarming rate. In recent months the government has approved the extension of Woodside's controversial North West Shelf development, a massive gas project which will operate to 2070 and emit an enormous 87.9m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year. If Australia secures the hosting rights to COP31 it will come under intense pressure from its neighbours in the Pacific to live up to its rhetoric and rapidly transition away from fossil fuels. Third, and most importantly, today's ruling means that Australia could pay climate reparations in the future. Developing countries may bring claims against Australia seeking damages. As a high-emitting developed country and one of the largest exporters of coal, oil and gas in the world, Australia has both the historical responsibility for climate change and the means to pay other nations for compensation and restitution. While the scale of any reparations will depend on the amount of damage suffered by the country bringing the claim, the breadth of climate change impacts mean that Australia and other countries could be faced with very high-value cases. Money is a strong motivator. The world court's decision today means that the threat of reparations can now be used to compel action from the worst, most stubborn climate offenders – Australia included. That is transformative for climate lawyers, giving us a powerful tool to pressure governments and corporations to acknowledge the realities of our warming planet. But it is a victory for everyone – a clear statement that the status quo isn't sufficient. We must act now to confront the climate crisis. And in a moment when hope feels hard to come by, that's very good news indeed. Harj Narulla is a barrister and leading global expert on climate litigation at Doughty Street Chambers and the University of Oxford. He represented Solomon Islands before the ICJ but is writing in his personal capacity
CNA
02-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
EU unveils long-delayed 2040 climate target, with wiggle room
BRUSSELS: The EU on Wednesday (July 2) unveiled its long-delayed target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, but with contested new flexibilities built in to win over the most sceptical member states. After months of tough negotiations, Brussels said it would stick to the headline objective announced last year of cutting emissions by 90 per cent by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. The proposal comes as much of Europe roasts in an early summer heatwave, which scientists say is becoming more intense, frequent and widespread due to human-induced climate change. The 2040 target, which needs sign off from the European Union's member states and parliament, is a key milestone towards the bloc's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Brussels says the EU has already cut climate-warming emissions by 37 per cent relative to 1990, but its green agenda faces pushback with a rightward shift and rising climate scepticism in many European countries. EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra acknowledged the "sensitive" debate, saying Brussels was keeping an "ambitious" goal while being "pragmatic and flexible on how to achieve it". To sway resistant capitals, the European Commission proposes that from 2036, the bloc's 27 countries can count carbon credits purchased to finance projects outside Europe, for up to three per cent of their emission cuts. Climate campaigners are broadly opposed to the measure. Backed by scientific studies and the commission's science advisers, they say factoring in international credits -- for things like tree-planting or renewable-energy projects -- risks undermining the EU's efforts to shift away from fossil fuels. "While this is a step in the right direction, by sneaking in international offsets and leaning heavily on supposed future carbon removals, the European Commission has built loopholes into the heart of the proposal," WWF EU said. "Three per cent is not insignificant," echoed Neil Makaroff, an expert at the climate-focused Strategic Perspectives think tank. "These are potentially considerable sums that will be spent abroad instead of financing the transition" in Europe."But there's a political compromise to be found," said Makaroff -- stressing the importance of "delivering" on the headline target. MAJOR TRANSFORMATIONS NEEDED To reach the 2040 and 2050 objectives, Europe's industry and citizens will have to undertake major transformations, including increased uptake of electric cars, the gradual phasing out of fossil fuels and making buildings more energy-efficient. "Today we show that we stand firmly by our commitment to decarbonise Europe's economy by 2050," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said. EU environment ministers will discuss the objective at a meeting in mid-July, ahead of a vote expected on September 18. EU lawmakers also need to greenlight the target, which requires the support from the biggest group in parliament, the centre-right EPP. To win others over, Brussels also proposes to make it more financially attractive for companies that capture and store CO2. The commission's hope is that the 2040 objective will be approved before the UN climate conference (COP30) in November in the northern Brazilian city of Belem. But that gives little time for negotiations with sceptical nations, with whom Hoekstra has already spent months trying to build a compromise. For some states, including the Czech Republic, the 90-per cent target is unrealistic. Meanwhile, others, including Italy and Hungary, worry about the burden of decarbonising heavy industry at a time when Europe is working to strengthen its industry in the face of fierce competition from the United States and China. French President Emmanuel Macron wants guarantees for the decarbonisation of industry and support for nuclear energy, the largest source of power in France. But the commission can count on the support of other countries, including Spain and Denmark, which took over the rotating EU presidency this week. And the three-per-cent "flexibility" -- which mirrors demands made in the new German government's coalition agreement -- should help keep the economic powerhouse on board. When it comes to Europe's international commitments, Macron has also stressed the bloc is only bound to present a midway target for 2035 at COP30 in Belem, and not the 2040 objective.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU unveils long-delayed 2040 climate target -- with wiggle room
The EU on Wednesday unveiled its long-delayed target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, but with contested new flexibilities built in to win over the most sceptical member states. After months of tough negotiations, Brussels announced it would stick to the headline objective announced last year of cutting emissions by 90 percent by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. The proposal comes as much of Europe roasts in an early summer heatwave, which scientists say are becoming more intense, frequent and widespread due to human-induced climate change. The 2040 target -- which needs sign off from the European Union's member states and parliament -- is a key milestone towards the bloc's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Brussels says the EU has already cut climate-warming emissions by 37 percent relative to 1990 but its green agenda faces pushback with a rightward shift and rising climate scepticism in many European countries. EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra acknowledged the "sensitive" debate, saying Brussels was keeping an "ambitious" goal while being "pragmatic and flexible on how to achieve it". To sway resistant capitals, the European Commission proposes that from 2036, the bloc's 27 countries can count carbon credits purchased to finance projects outside Europe, for up to three percent of their emission cuts. Climate campaigners are broadly opposed to the measure. Backed by scientific studies and the commission's own science advisers, they say factoring in international credits -- for things like tree-planting or renewable-energy projects -- risks undermining the EU's own efforts to shift away from fossil fuels. "While this is a step in the right direction, by sneaking in international offsets and leaning heavily on supposed future carbon removals, the European Commission has built loopholes into the heart of the proposal," WWF EU said. "Three percent is not insignificant," echoed Neil Makaroff, an expert at the climate-focused Strategic Perspectives think tank. "These are potentially considerable sums that will be spent abroad instead of financing the transition" in Europe. "But there's a political compromise to be found," said Makaroff -- stressing the importance of "delivering" on the headline target. - EU stands 'firm' - To reach the 2040 and 2050 objectives, Europe's industry and citizens will have to undertake major transformations including increased uptake of electric cars, the gradual phasing out of fossil fuels and making buildings more energy-efficient. "Today we show that we stand firmly by our commitment to decarbonise Europe's economy by 2050," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said. EU environment ministers will discuss the objective at a meeting in mid-July, ahead of a vote expected on September 18. EU lawmakers also need to greenlight the target, which requires the support from the biggest group in parliament, the centre-right EPP. To win others over, Brussels also proposes to make it more financially attractive for companies that capture and store CO2. The commission's hope is that the 2040 objective will be approved before the UN climate conference (COP30) in November in the northern Brazilian city of Belem. But that gives little time for negotiations with sceptical nations, with whom Hoekstra has already spent months trying to build a compromise. For some states, including the Czech Republic, the 90-percent target is unrealistic. Meanwhile, others including Italy and Hungary worry about the burden of decarbonising heavy industry at a time when Europe is working to strengthen its industry in the face of fierce competition from the United States and China. - 'Not strain ourselves' - French President Emmanuel Macron wants guarantees for the decarbonisation of industry and support for nuclear energy, the largest source of power in France. But the commission can count on the support of other countries including Spain and Denmark, which took over the rotating EU presidency this week. And the three-percent "flexibility" -- which mirrors demands made in the new German government's coalition agreement -- should help keep the economic powerhouse on board. When it comes to Europe's international commitments, Macron has also stressed the bloc is only bound to present a midway target for 2035 at COP30 in Belem, and not the 2040 objective. "Let's not strain ourselves," Macron told reporters last week. "If we have (a 2040 target) for Belem, great, but if it takes longer, let's take the time." adc/raz/ec/giv
