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August 2, 2025

Anna Murray 

On July 23, the 15-member United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared that wealthy nations must comply with their commitments to reduce fossil fuel use and pollution or face financial penalties from countries severely harmed by climate change.

According to a ruling by the highest court of the United Nations, wealthy nations may violate international law if they fail to improve their efforts to safeguard the Earth from climate change. Because of this ruling, climate change campaigners may file lawsuits against their nations for noncompliance with the court's ruling.

The 2015 Paris Agreement is an international convention on climate change that was signed by 195 countries. The court's decision pushes large polluters to meet and maintain the requirements established by the 2015 Paris Agreement. According to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the court ruling confirms that the Paris climate agreement targets must serve as the basis of all climate policies.