WCC news: International Court of Justice delivers ruling on States’ obligations in relation to climate change

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), on 23 July, delivered a ruling on States’ obligations in relation to climate change. Following on the heels of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling, this opinion clarifies that States have binding legal duties grounded in science, equity, and fundamental human rights. September 2022, Karlsruhe, Germany: Activists demand attention to the climate crisis during a protest at the World Council of Churches' 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC 23 July 2025 The ICJ affirmed that States have an obligation under international law to protect the climate from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions not least for “present and future generations”  and to act with a stringent level of due diligence to prevent global warming from exceeding the 1.5C threshold as agreed in the Paris Agreement. Not doing so could pave the way for affected parties to seek reparations. This legal duty stems not only from the Paris Agreement, but also from human rights law, the law of the sea, and the customary duty to prevent transboundary harm.  The United Nations’s highest court asserted that a “clean, healthy, and sustainable environment” is a human right, and that failing to protect the planet from the impacts of climate change may constitute a violation of international law.  Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, welcomed the decision. “This is a historic ruling of the ICJ. Even though as an advisory opinion it is not binding for States, it will be a highly relevant legal orientation by the highest judicial body on this globe,” he said.  Bedford-Strohm stressed that for the first time with this clarity in international law, the rights of future generations are seen as the referral point of today’s legal framework.  “No longer is it possible to live a life now, for which people in the future must pay the bill. What has long been seen by churches, religious communities, and nongovernmental organizations as a moral obligation has now been stated as a legal obligation,” he added.  “For the WCC it is a strong encouragement for the recently launched Decade for Climate Justice Action which we just proclaimed at our central committee meeting in Johannesburg. We call on all States to redirect their political priorities and take measures for an ecological transformation, which honors the interests of future generations as much as those of people living now,” he said. WCC shares insights during climate protection webinar (WCC news release, 23 July 2025) From eco-anxiety to hope: Ecumenical International Youth Day 2025 (WCC news release, 18 July 2025) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland