Center for International Environmental Law

Shaped by voices from all regions and backgrounds, the UNGA Resolution on Climate Accountability operationalises the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change to hold countries accountable and to prevent further climate harm. From the frontlines of the climate crisis to the halls of international law, Vanuatu has led this push, along with a core group of cross-regional States, aiming to turn climate promises into legal obligations and real-world action. In this commentary, Hon. Minister Ralph Regenvanu argues that the UN must act on the International Court of Justice’s landmark climate ruling — because the rule of law means little without enforcement. Swipe right to read this powerful article and learn why a resolution like this should not be wasted and why Member States must co-sponsor and #VoteYesforClimateAccountability ✊ 🔗 Link in our bio to read

Today, we’re calling on ALL States — from Australia to Nigeria — to #ActOnTheClimateRuling at the United Nations General Assembly 🌍🌿 ⚖️ The @cij_icj has clarified States’ legal obligations on climate change. The science is clear. The law is clear. Now the question is simple: will governments act? 🇺🇳 A UN General Assembly resolution, led by Vanuatu and a cross-regional group of countries, aims to turn the ICJ climate ruling into real-world action by calling on States to: ⭕️ Align national policies with international law ⭕️ Phase out fossil fuels ⭕️ Deliver climate finance and repair harm ✊ Nearly 400,000 people worldwide and 80+ civil society organizations (and counting) are calling on governments to support and co-sponsor the resolution. 🫵 Want to take action? 🪇 Join the social media storm ✒️ Sign the petition calling on States to support the resolution 📨 Ask your organization to sign the joint statement [links in bio and in the first comment] The roadmap exists. Will countries follow? 👀 We are watching 👀 #ClimateICJAO #FromWordsToAction #VoteYesForClimateJustice #ClimateJustice #ActOnTheClimateRuling

Recent geopolitical conflicts are a stark reminder: as long as our food depends on volatile fossil gas markets, we will never have true food sovereignty. Fertilizer prices are soaring because synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is made directly from fossil gas. This is a dangerous case of déjà vu. We cannot keep responding to every crisis with short-term “fixes” while ignoring the root problem: a structural dependency on fossil-based inputs. CIEL, @eeb_europe , and @organicseurope — supported by 70+ organizations — are demanding a break from this cycle. While the upcoming EU Fertilizer Action Plan is a European policy, it's a blueprint for the global transition we all need. We must pivot toward solutions that actually work to build resilient agri-food systems. We are calling on policymakers to: 🌱 Support farmers transitioning away from fossil fertilizers ⚖️ Protect water, nature, the climate, and public health 🧑‍🌾 Promote less nitrogen-intensive diets and reduce food waste 🔬 Invest in regional non-fossil based fertilizer production It’s time for a food system that serves people and the planet, not the fossil fuel and chemical industries. 👉 Swipe through to see our key demands. 🔗 Link in bio to read the full joint letter! @agroecology_europe @birdlife.europe @ciwf_eu @clientearth_ @foodrise.eu @corporateeurope @eurogroupforanimals @eeb_europe @fernngo @friends_earth @gallifreyfoundation @can.europe

We invite all Member States to co-sponsor the UNGA Resolution on Climate Accountability and stand together in advancing meaningful, measurable climate action. This resolution is an opportunity to strengthen global cooperation, uphold shared responsibility, and drive positive change for present and future generations. Together, our collective commitment can turn ambition into action. 🌍 #ClimateICJAO #UNGA

From the first call for climate justice to today’s historic momentum, every step of this journey has been driven by the belief that a safer, fairer future is possible for all 🌐 The road hasn’t been easy, but the fight for a climate-just future is one worth taking. Dive into our latest post to explore the journey behind the ICJ Advisory Opinion and the UNGA Resolution — and why they matter for communities across the Pacific and beyond. #ClimateICJAO #UNGARESOLUTION #UNGA

📣 NEW OP-ED in @climatehomenews On May 20, the UN General Assembly will vote on a resolution to advance the International Court of Justice’s historic climate ruling, affirming that States have legal obligations to prevent, address and remedy climate harm. 🔥 The law is clear 🔥 The science is clear. 🔥 The urgency is undeniable 🔥What’s missing is political will 🔥 A strong vote in support of this resolution would send a powerful message: governments are ready to uphold international law and act together on the climate crisis. This is bigger than one UN resolution. It’s about whether states will stand by the principles they claim to defend in the face of a crisis that affects us all. We urge all member states to support and cosponsor the resolution. It’s time to #ActOnTheClimateRuling. As @wy4cj ’s Jule Schnakenberg and CIEL’s Joie Chowdhury write: “History will judge those in power not by how they defended the status quo, but by whether they rose to meet a crisis that threatens us all.” #ClimateICJAO #FromWordsToAction #UNGA #AOLetsGO #ClimateJustice #VoteYESForClimateJustice

The takeaway from the world’s first ever conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels is clear: we have created the political space to address the root cause of the crisis. The Santa Marta conference marked a historic shift from political deadlock to coordinated action, changing the trajectory of the fossil fuel conversation. To secure a full phaseout and a truly fossil-free future, we must: ⚖️ End legal and financial barriers like Inter-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) that allow foreign investors to threaten public interest. 🌊 Halt fossil fuel expansion, specifically the push for offshore oil and gas that threatens our oceans. 🚜 Decouple our food systems from the petrochemicals embedded in fertilizers and plastics. 🚫 Reject false solutions and “techno-fixes” that enable greenwashing and delay real action. 🤝Enable effective cooperation among a coalition of doers and support for a binding fossil fuel treaty. Now the question is not whether the transition will happen — but how fast, how fair, and how coordinated it will be. Read our full statement at the link in our bio. 🔗

🥁 The @cij_icj has made it clear: States have binding legal duties to prevent, address, and remedy climate harm. A resolution at the United Nations General Assembly, introduced by Vanuatu with a core group, seeks to endorse the Court’s Advisory Opinion and push for real, collective climate action. With the resolution now open for co-sponsorship, the issue isn’t clarity anymore; it’s political will. 🗣️ At a moment when climate devastation is intensifying, and multilateralism is under strain, a consensus resolution would send a powerful signal: governments are still committed to the rule of law and collective climate action. Continued resistance… will only deepen the credibility gap between rhetoric and action. This resolution is a key test of global commitment to climate justice, accountability, and cooperation. 📢 We call on ALL UN Member States to step up and co-sponsor the resolution. It’s time to #ActOnTheClimateRuling #ClimateICJAO #ActOnTheClimateRuling #FromWordsToAction #UNGA #AOLetsGO #ClimateJustice #ClimateRights #VoteYESForClimateJustice

The Government of Vanuatu has released the final draft of the UN climate resolution at today’s media briefing and announced a May 20th vote date. As the May 20 vote approaches, countries must step forward to cosponsor and help turn the International Court of Justice climate Advisory Opinion into action. #ClimateICJAO #UNGAResolution

Petrochemicals: the industry’s ultimate survival strategy. Only when petrochemicals are treated as a core part of the phaseout can the fossil economy be uprooted in its entirety. To secure a truly fossil-free future, we must: 📈 Chart a pathway for managed decline amid the sector’s financial strain. 🚫 Challenge speculative petrochemical markets. 🙅 Debunk the petrochemicals greenwash. ⚖️ Hold industry accountable for toxic impacts. 👥 Prioritize a #JustTransition for communities. As leaders gather in Santa Marta to discuss the transition, we must address how the industry is scaling up petrochemicals for materials like plastics or fertilizers, which will lock in fossil fuel demand for decades to come. Read the full analysis at the link in our bio. 🔗 #SantaMarta #FossilFreeFuture #ClimateJustice #JustTransition #Petrochemicals

⚡ BREAKING NEWS: THE WORLD SPEAKS UP! ✊🌍 Today, more than 200 civil society, faith-based, and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations representing millions on the frontlines issued a historic open letter to the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD). 📩🔥 The message is clear: It’s time to #FillTheFund with at least $400 BILLION a year by 2035. 💰📈 THE COFFERS ARE NOT EMPTY. THEY ARE JUST PROTECTED. 🤑 Rich polluting nations, planet-wrecking corporations, and the mega-wealthy have no problem mobilizing trillions for war 💣 or pandemic recovery 😷. Yet, to date, only 0.1% of the needed climate funding has actually been paid in. This isn’t a matter of "charity" it’s a #ClimateDebt. ⚖️ OUR DEMANDS ARE UNEQUIVOCAL: 1️⃣ GRANTS, NOT LOANS: Survivors should not take on debt for a crisis they didn't cause. 🚫💳 2️⃣ THE SCALE: Delivering $50B/year (2027 to 2030), $100B/year (2031-2034), and $400B/year 2035 onwards. ⏰ 3️⃣ POLLUTER PAYS: Tax the ultra-rich 🎩, implement a Climate Damages Tax (CDT) on fossil fuel extraction 🛢️, and place levies on global shipping. 🚢 WHY THIS MATTERS: This isn't just about the Global South. Taxing the polluters can fund climate action at home, healthcare, and human rights for all. This plan must be anchored in Intergenerational Equity and legal obligations under international law. 📜🚸 We did not fight for three decades for a hollow mechanism that shuffles loose change. We fought for justice. ✊❤️‍🩹 JOIN THE MOVEMENT: 📢 Share this post to amplify the demand! 🔗Link in Bio to read the roadmap and join us. #LossAndDamage #FillTheFund #ClimateJustice #payup #polluterpays

✊🏽 This week, CIEL Senior Attorney @manizalmigrante will join the 25th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues #UNPFII. 🤝CIEL engagement focuses on Indigenous Peoples’ health in conflict contexts, alongside land rights, and climate justice. Working closely with @landislifeorg , we’ll take part in high-level panels, official side events, and workshops on the role of the climate international advisory opinions in advancing Indigenous rights. ⚖️ The Forum represents a critical opportunity to support Indigenous-led advocacy in translating recent legal developments into practical tools for campaigning and litigation. 🔥 At a time of escalating climate impacts, the need to advance justice rooted in Indigenous Peoples’ rights has never been more urgent. This is about turning legal progress into real-world change—supporting Indigenous leadership in the fight for climate justice and reparations. Espagnol: ✊🏽 Esta semana, la abogada senior de CIEL @manizalmigrante participará en el 25.º período de sesiones del Foro Permanente de las Naciones Unidas para las Cuestiones Indígenas #UNPFII. 🤝 La participación de CIEL se centra en la salud de los pueblos indígenas en contextos de conflicto, junto con los derechos territoriales y la justicia climática. En colaboración con @landislifeorg , participaremos en paneles de alto nivel, eventos paralelos oficiales y talleres sobre el papel de las opiniones consultivas internacionales sobre clima en el avance de los derechos indígenas. ⚖️ El Foro representa una oportunidad clave para apoyar la incidencia liderada por pueblos indígenas, traduciendo avances legales recientes en herramientas prácticas para la incidencia y el litigio. 🔥 En un momento de intensificación de los impactos climáticos, la necesidad de avanzar en una justicia basada en los derechos de los pueblos indígenas nunca ha sido más urgente. Se trata de convertir los avances legales en cambios reales, apoyando el liderazgo indígena en la lucha por la justicia climática y las reparaciones. #UNPFII25 #WeAreIndigenous #SomosIndígenas #NousSommesAutochtones #ClimateJustice #EnvironmentalDemocracy