Policy Brief: States’ international obligations at the ocean-climate nexus

“In March 2023, the United Nations General Assembly requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify the international obligations of States to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases for States and for present and future generations (A/RES/77/276). The One Ocean Hub submitted to the Court a note to highlight: 1) the need to take into account marine biodiversity science as a basis to clarify State obligations; 2) the need to rely also on international biodiversity law, the law of the sea and international human rights law to clarify these obligations; and 3) a synthesis of State obligations that arise from considering the science and law identified by the Hub under 1 and 2. In this policy brief, we summarise the science and the concept of mutual supportiveness that we shared with the Court, and the key conclusions of our note in terms of State obligations at the ocean-climate nexus…”
Photo: Maurizio Biso, Dreamstime.com
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