A closely-watched international climate case that could yield guidance for governments around the world wrapped its first week of arguments before the top court of the United Nations in The Hague Friday. The case, though not binding, is expected to spell out what countries are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating impact.
The push for the International Court of Justice to hear this case comes — like much of the call to address climate change — from island nations who are losing territory and fear they could disappear under rising seas. The U.N. General Assembly asked the court last year for an opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.”
