Youth call on UN leaders to take climate justice to Court
Youth representatives and the Belgian government seek attention for climate justice at the United Nations.The youth promote a legal opinion by the International Court of Justice, in a bid to find equitable solutions tothe climate crisis and halt dangerous global warming.
UN Youth Representatives and World’s Youth for Climate Justice seek to pursue new avenues within the UN system to protect human rights.They are looking to the UN court, the International Court of Justice, for a legal opinion to increase climate ambition and promote equitable solutions to the climate crisis.
The announcement was made by the youth representatives at an event at the yearly UN conference on theSustainable Development Goals (abbr.: HLPF), happening virtually the coming week. At this conference, Statesmeasure their progress on achieving the global agenda for 2030. The participants were clear: CO2 emissions arereduced too slowly to stop dangerous global warming and present a threat to humanity. According to WYCJ campaign director Solomon Yeo from the Pacific, “1.5 degrees might secure our survival, but under no means would it allow us to thrive”
The youth representatives are convinced of the need for an Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice to secure human rights and especially those of children and youth. At the UN event, UNICEF Senior advisor Gautam Narasimhan shed light on how there are acute and long-term climate impacts for children, posing a particular threat to vulnerable children and future generations. ‘It’s becoming increasingly evident that one of the greatest threats ofchildren’s rights is that of climate change.”
Several legal scholars and UN officials have already endorsed this new avenue, including former president of Ireland andformer UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson. “I absolutely support it (World’s Youth for ClimateJustice, ed.), and I congratulate the countries Belgium, and my own country Ireland and the youth delegates, who have come together around this side event, and I hope it will raise awareness on climate justice.”
The announcement is made against the backdrop of a leaked IPCC report, which explicates the drastic and irreversible consequences of the current carbon emission trajectories.
