UN court gets request for advisory opinion on climate change

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ highest court has confirmed that the General Assembly has asked for it to issue an advisory opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.” U.N. nations led by the South Pacific island state of Vanuatu adopted a historic resolution late last month calling for the International Court of Justice to lay out the legal framework of obligations countries have to curb warming and protect communities from climate disaster. The Hague-based court said Wednesday it has been asked to answer two questions. What are nations legally obliged to do to protect the climate and environment from greenhouse emissions, and what are the legal consequences if nations have caused significant harm to the climate and the environment?