Small island nations that feel as if they got a bad deal at last month’s global climate talks hope the world’s highest court will treat them better.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague is being asked to determine the legal obligations that major polluting countries have for tackling climate change — and the consequences they face if they fail. The court opened two weeks of proceedings Monday to hear oral arguments from nearly 100 countries.
The hearings began eight days after the close of COP29 in Azerbaijan, where wealthy countries agreed to “take the lead” in providing poorer nations with $300 billion annually by 2035 to address rising temperatures.
Developing nations denounced the deal for falling short of what they need financially and for failing to include language to advance international efforts to stem the drivers of global warming. The legal hearings come amid growing skepticism about the effectiveness of the global talks.
