Australia joins 140 other countries in passing a major United Nations resolution backing a landmark legal ruling on climate change, despite efforts by the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia to sink it.
Multiple natural disasters in Vanuatu left the once iconic Holiday Inn villas in Port Vila damaged beyond repair. A landmark United Nations resolution on climate change has received Australia's support to pass.
Several countries, including the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia, voted against the resolution. Australia has joined 140 other countries in passing a major United Nations resolution backing a landmark legal ruling on climate change, despite efforts by the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia to sink it. The UN General Assembly voted overnight to endorse last year's International Court of Justice ruling, which found countries can he held legally responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions.
While 28 countries, including India and Türkiye, abstained, only eight countries voted against it: Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Yemen. The resolution was driven by Vanuatu, which has spearheaded the international push behind the ICJ ruling. The vote has been celebrated by climate campaigners, who say it gives the decision a political seal of approval and should drive more rapid global decarbonisation.
Vanuatu's Minister of Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu said the resolution was "deeply significant" because it "confirms that no state is above its obligations to protect people, future generations, and our planet.
" "This is a victory for multilateralism, for the rule of law, and for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisisWhile the final resolution passed by the UN was watered down to gain broader support, it still calls on states to "comply with their respective obligations" to cut emissions and notes the ICJ's finding that polluting nations may be required to pay reparations. ABC News: Niki KuautongaThe US had actively campaigned to sink the vote, with America's UN representative, Tammy Bruce, declaring that the resolution included "inappropriate political demands relating to fossil fuels".
One Pacific official aimed at the Trump Administration, saying it had been working to undermine Pacific nations championing the resolution, while applying "pressure" to allies to vote no. The official also gave some measured praise to Australia, saying its officials played a "constructive" role in discussions and helped create more "unity" on agreed language ahead of the vote. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said Australia was "pleased to have worked closely and constructively with Pacific countries throughout the negotiation process".
Australia's representative at the UN, James Larsen, told the General Assembly that it had "engaged constructively throughout negotiations to seek to bridge divides in the resolution" and praised Vanuatu for "their diplomacy in presenting a text that has achieved widespread support". But he also said that there was no international consensus on the implications of the ICJ ruling, and stressed that Australia was still "carefully considering the Court's opinion".
"As negotiations on this resolution have demonstrated, states continue to hold differing views on the scope and content of some of those obligations," Mr Larsen said. "Our support for this resolution should not be interpreted as our agreement with every element of the advisory opinion. " "Rather, our support reflects our recognition of the seriousness of the climate crisis, the need for concrete action and the positive role of the International Court of Justice's opinion in support of global efforts.
" Pacific nations banded together to push for the initial ruling at the International Court of Justice last year. Climate Council Fellow Wesley Morgan called the vote a "massive victory for Vanuatu and the Pacific leaders" but said Australia had to back its vote in the UN by phasing out approvals for new coal and gas projects.
"As the world's third-largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia can no longer ignore the catastrophic impacts our coal and gas exports are causing globally," Mr Morgan said. Some Pacific climate groups have also lashed Australia for not being one of the dozens of nations that co-sponsored the original motion. Vishal Prasad from the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, the NGO that started the legal push championed by Vanuatu, labelled Australia's actions in the lead-up to the vote "disappointing".
"Every Pacific nation except Australia and New Zealand co-sponsored this important initiative at the UN," he said. "For a country that holds the Presidency of Negotiations at this year's climate talks and calls itself the big brother of the Pacific, that isn't good enough. "
Climate Change Climate Change ICJ UN General Assembly UN Climate Change Ruling UN United Nations Greenhouse Gas Emissions Vanuatu Ralph Regenvanu Tammy Bruce James Larsen Wesley Morgan Vishal Prasad Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change PISFCC
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