Only yesterday we told you about the historical sentence with which the Court of Cassation sanctioned, for the first time, that even in Italy it is possible to obtain climatic justice against those who pollute: a verdict that gave the green light to the cause intended against Eni and established that Large companies are no longer untouchable when it comes to climate change.
Historical victory against Eni: finally in Italy it is possible to obtain climatic justice against those who pollute
Yesterday, a few hours later, another powerful decision arrived, this time from the highest court on the planet: The International Court of Justice of the Hague (CIG).
The opinion of the International Court of Justice that changes everything
On July 23, 2025, the CIG It has issued an unprecedented advisory opinion regarding the obligations of the states in the face of the climatic emergency. This is the first time ever that the Court intervenes on this issue with this clarity and strength, defining new standards and strengthening the weight of international law in the fight against global warming.
According to the opinion, States have the legal obligation to prevent significant damage to the environment and to actively cooperate in the fight against climate change. These obligations also extend to the control of the activities of companies operating under their jurisdiction, regardless of where the impacts of their emissions occur.
In addition, the Court underlined a revolutionary principle: The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a fundamental human right And he must guide the interpretation of all climate obligations. And it is not yet over, the principle of intergenerational equity has also been recognized, according to which current choices must take into account the rights and safety of future generations.
World Court Says Climate Change is an ‘existential threat’
The United Nations’ Highest Court Said Countries Need to Meet Their Climate Obligations and Not Doing So Couuld Pave The Way For Other States Affected by Climate Change to Seek Reparations in Litigation in Specific Cases https://reut.rs/4f2bfvz
Posted by Reuters on Wednesday, July 23, 2025
The concrete consequences for the states (and not only)
One of the most innovative aspects of the CIG decision concerns the consequences in the event of violation of these obligations. States that do not act to contain emissions or that continue to support the expansion of fossil fuels may be held responsible in front of the international community. And the responsibility will not be limited to the moral sentence: the Court has clarified that requests for full repair will be possible, which include arrest and financial compensation for losses and damage caused.
In practice, this means that even the concession of licenses, funding or subsidies for activities with high climatic impact could constitute a violation of international law.
A strong message for the future of the planet
Although the sentence issued by the International Court of Justice has a consultative nature and therefore. The verdict pronounced by the judges of the age has in fact a huge legal and symbolic weight: fixes of the fundamental principles and concretely opens the way for new climatic causes all over the world. The so -called “climate quarrels” – the legal actions promoted by environmental associations or groups of citizens against governments and companies accused of climatic inaction – are now an international precedent that strengthens their arguments and expands the margins of maneuver in the national and supranational courts.
Great satisfaction of associations. Danilo Garrido, Greenpeace International legal consultant said:
This is the beginning of a new era of global climatic responsibility. The consultative opinion of the CIG marks a turning point in climatic justice, because it has clarified once and for all the international climatic obligations of the States and, even more important, the consequences in the event of violation. The message is clear: those who pollute must stop issuing and must pay for the damage it has caused.
A stance that arrives in a crucial moment, while the signs of the climatic crisis become increasingly evident, and which could feed a wave of new legal actions all over the world, also against states and public bodies.
The official recognition by the most high international court that Environmental law is a human rightand that The fight against the climatic crisis is a legal as well as moral dutyrepresents a fundamental turning point.
It is clear that the courts, in the imminent future, will become more and more protagonists in defining the responsibilities of the climatic crisis and allies of all those associations and free citizens who fight for a more just and sustainable future.
