<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The UN General Assembly on Wednesday is expected to adopt a resolution calling for a top court to outline legal obligations related to climate change, an "unprecedented challenge of civilizational proportions."</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pushed for years by Vanuatu and Pacific islander youth, the measure asks the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to lay out nations' obligations for protecting Earth's climate, and the legal consequences they face if they don't.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If the resolution passes -- as is widely expected since more than half of UN member states have co-sponsored it -- Vanuatu's Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau told AFP he will be "elated."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Global warming is en route to Armageddon," warned the leader, whose Pacific nation faces rising sea-levels and experienced back-to-back cyclones earlier this month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He added that leaders must "react very quickly, urgently" to address the climate crisis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The government of Vanuatu started lobbying for the climate resolution in 2021, after a campaign initiated by a group of students from a university in Fiji in 2019.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Co-sponsored by some 120 nations, the resolution asks the ICJ to clarify the "obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A week ago, the UN's panel of climate experts (IPCC) warned that global average temperatures could reach 1.5C above the pre-industrial era by as early as 2030-2035, underlining the need for drastic action this decade.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While nations have no legal obligation under the Paris Agreement to meet emission reduction targets, backers of the new climate resolution hope other instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, could offer some pathways for enforcement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ICJ opinions are not binding, but they carry significant legal and moral weight, and are often taken into account by national courts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The future ruling "will serve as an important accountability tool," Harjeet Singh of Climate Action Network, an international NGO, told AFP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He hailed the resolution's apparent success as "potentially one of the biggest climate diplomacy and multilateral successes in the recent past."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His enthusiasm however is not shared by all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I don't see anything useful that the Court could say. On the other hand, I see scenarios where this request would be counterproductive," Benoit Mayer, a specialist in international law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told AFP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He warned of a possible "disaster scenario," if the ICJ opinion is "clear and precise, but contrary to what the supporters of the request wanted."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- 'Particularly vulnerable' islands -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another unknown factor is the position of the two largest emitters of greenhouse gasses, China and the United States.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During negotiations on the Paris Agreement, US diplomats secured the addition of a clause specifying that the text "does not involve or provide a basis for any liability or compensation."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is a critical issue in the debate over paying for the so-called "loss and damage" costs borne by the poorest countries, which have contributed the least to global warming.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The UN resolution notably asks the ICJ to clarify the "legal consequences" for states which "have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It specifically asks the court to weigh obligations to "small island developing States," which are "particularly vulnerable" to climate change, as well as obligations to future generations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When the UN considers the resolution on Wednesday, it will be a "test moment for states around the world to really show where they stand," said Nikki Reisch, of the Center for international environmental law (Ciel).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It will also be an emotional day for the Pacific youth, who spearheaded the initiative.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This was an opportunity to do something bigger than ourselves, bigger than our fears, something important for our future," said Cynthia Houniuhi, president of the group Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>