Statement on the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly on the resolution “Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect of climate change”
Today is an important step towards climate justice around the world and in the Philippines.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) formally adopted a resolution by Vanuatu to operationalize the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (ICJAO) on climate change, as voted for by a vast majority of countries – including the Philippines.
The message is clear: limiting global warming to 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement is the standard to assess whether national governments are doing enough to address the climate crisis.
Failing to implement the necessary actions to reduce climate pollution is now regarded as a failure to exercise due diligence for which States could be held accountable under international law.
Countries must enable just transitions away from fossil fuels through rapid and drastic emissions reductions, aligned with the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC).
Governments are obligated to regulate big fossil fuel and industrial corporations within their jurisdictions, as part of doing their due diligence.
How it applies to the Philippines
Lost in the endless news of corruption, impunity, and self-preservation in recent times is the fact that the rest of the national government is finalizing the updated Philippine Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which contains the government’s commitment to reduce emissions.
As the Philippines actively supported the adoption of the ICJAO resolution, it must now prove it can “walk the talk”. While we agree on the call of President Bongbong Marcos for developed countries to fulfill their obligations to curb emissions and provide new and additional financing for climate adaptation and loss and damage, his government cannot forget its obligations within our own boundaries.
We demand the current administration to accelerate the just transition from fossil fuels, with the ongoing energy crisis a reminder of exactly why it must happen. We urge the development, updating, and proper implementation of all national climate plans, especially the NDC, to be aligned with the 1.5°C target and the other goals of the Paris Agreement. We also demand corporations responsible for ecologically-destructive activities and consequent human rights violations to be held accountable for their actions.
But if this government is truly serious about its support for this landmark UNGA resolution, it must enforce accountability within itself. As scandals such as the massive corruption in flood control projects have shown, acts of corruption or greenwashing are ultimately acts of climate injustice. So is any inaction or act of negligence that allows pollutive or destructive consequences to the natural environment, the burden of which is unjustly imposed on the most vulnerable communities to disproportionately bear.
Climate action speaks louder than words.
Aksyon Klima Pilipinas 