{"id":12792,"date":"2025-07-26T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/26\/top-court-takes-aim-at-fossil-fuels-in-major-ruling\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T10:21:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T10:21:09","slug":"top-court-takes-aim-at-fossil-fuels-in-major-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/26\/top-court-takes-aim-at-fossil-fuels-in-major-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"Top court takes aim at fossil fuels in major ruling"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>             <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/logo1_forfooter.gif\"\/>             <\/li>\n<li>             <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/logo.gif\"\/>         <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>GO<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Home<\/li>\n<li>Business<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>Sun, Jul 27, 2025 page9<\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li>                              Top court takes aim at fossil fuels in major ruling<br \/>\n<h3>The ICJ\u2019s climate ruling, although not binding, could clear the way for lawsuits against governments and businesses  <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>By Nick Perry  \/    AFP, PARIS<\/li>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/twitter.png\"\/><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/facebook.png\"\/><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/line.png\"\/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A historic climate ruling by the world\u2019s highest court could make it legally riskier for fossil fuel companies to do business and embolden lawsuits against oil and gas expansion, experts said.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The International Court of Justice\u2019s (ICJ) first-ever advisory opinion on climate change contained a particularly strong position on fossil fuels that surprised even veteran observers of environmental law.<\/p>\n<p>The Hague, Netherlands-based court declared that states had an obligation under international law to address the \u201curgent and existential threat\u201d of climate change, a decision hailed as a milestone by small islands most at risk.<\/p>\n<p>                                              <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/P09-250727-316-1.jpg\"\/>                                          Climate activists demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, ahead of its advisory opinion on climate change on wednesday.                     <\/p>\n<p>Photo: REUTERS<\/p>\n<p>The unanimous decision went further than expected, with the court spelling out what responsibility states have to protect the climate from planet-warming emissions from burning fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p>Failing to prevent this harm \u201cincluding through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licenses or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies \u2014 might constitute an internationally wrongful act\u201d by that state, the court added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really significant,\u201d said Sophie Marjanac, an international climate lawyer and director of legal strategy at the Polluter Pays Project, a campaign group.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt goes further than I expected, and it really makes some pretty groundbreaking findings,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>ICJ advisory opinions are not legally enforceable, but such opinions are rare and seen as highly authoritative in steering national courts, legislation and corporate behavior around the globe.<\/p>\n<p>Litigation against fossil fuel projects is growing, but so too are legal challenges by states and companies using the courts to block or unwind action on climate change.<\/p>\n<p>Jorge Vinuales, who helped draft the request for the court\u2019s opinion, said the fossil fuels language in the final opinion \u201cwent as far as one could expect the court to go, which is no small feat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said this interpretation of liability for climate harm would probably be picked up in domestic and global courtrooms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf so, it could have far-reaching effects,\u201d said Vinuales, a professor of law and environmental policy at the University of Cambridge.<\/p>\n<p>Fossil fuel companies, and oil and gas-producing nations could ignore the ICJ, \u201cbut that raises legal and litigations risks of its own,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Its opinion could be used in a lawsuit against expanding a coal mine, a private dispute between an investor and a state, or a contract negotiation involving a fossil fuel financier, Marjanac said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt could come up in all sorts of ways, all over the place. The influence is unlimited, really,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>This could particularly be the case in countries that can adopt international law directly into their constitutions and legal frameworks, although this would depend on national context and take time to trickle down.<\/p>\n<p>In these countries, which include France, Mexico and the Netherlands, courts might have to take the ICJ opinion into account when hearing a case against an oil and gas venture. Even in so-called \u201cdualist states\u201d where international law is not automatically incorporated, constitutional courts and other national legislatures have often respected and adopted aspects of ICJ opinions, experts said.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling \u201copens the door to challenges to new fossil fuel project approvals and licensing,\u201d Marjanac said, adding that it \u201cmakes the operating environment much more difficult\u201d for oil and gas majors. <\/p>\n<p>The court also \u201cprovided stricter measures surrounding the business of fossil fuels,\u201d and underscored that governments could not avoid blame for polluting companies within their jurisdiction, Joy Reyes from the London School of Economics said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCountries will have to be more circumspect when it comes to licensing permits and broader policies around fossil fuels, because it may open them up to liability in the future,\u201d said Reyes, a climate litigation specialist.<\/p>\n<p>It could also empower smaller states to pursue compensation from big polluters, and give countries threatened with legal action by fossil fuel companies a stronger line of defense.<\/p>\n<p>It could also be harder now for oil and gas companies \u201cto claim they have a legitimate expectation to be able to operate a fossil fuel project without impediment,\u201d said Lorenzo Cotula, an international legal expert.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s now clear that states have a legal duty to take action in this space, and if they\u2019re able to articulate this in possible proceedings, I think that will be a strong legal argument to make,\u201d said Cotula, from the International Institute for Environment and Development.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>                                                                                        Most Popular<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/right.png\"\/>\n<ul>\n<li>1<br \/>\n<h5>US House passes \u2018Honest Maps\u2019 bill<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>2<br \/>\n<h5>Vanuatu chief is \u2018impressed\u2019 by UN climate decision<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>3<br \/>\n<h5>Recall supporters rally in Taipei<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>4<br \/>\n<h5>Lai meets Irish delegation to discuss stronger ties<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<li>5<br \/>\n<h5>Taiwan hosting Linguistics Olympiad for the first time<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>                              You might also like\n<ul>\n<li>                                                                                                                                           <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/P09-250724-333.jpg\"\/>                                                                         DBS raises Taiwan GDP forecast to 4%                                     2025-07-24\n<p>                                         ELECTRONICS BOOST:                                         A predicted surge in exports would likely be driven by ICT products, exports of which have soared 84.7 percent from a year earlier, DBS said                                        DBS Bank Ltd (\u661f\u5c55\u9280\u884c) yesterday raised its GDP growth forecast for Taiwan this year to 4 percent from 3 percent, citing robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related exports and accelerated shipment activity, which are expected to offset potential headwinds from US tariffs.  \u201cOur GDP growth forecast for 2025 is revised up to 4 percent from 3 percent to reflect front-loaded exports and strong AI demand,\u201d Singapore-based DBS senior economist Ma Tieying (\u99ac\u9435\u82f1) said in an online briefing.  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All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GO Home Business Sun, Jul 27, 2025 page9 Top court takes aim at fossil fuels in major ruling The ICJ\u2019s climate ruling, although not binding, could clear the way for lawsuits against governments and businesses By Nick Perry \/ AFP, PARIS A historic climate ruling by the world\u2019s highest court could make it legally riskier for fossil fuel companies to do business and embolden lawsuits against oil and gas expansion, experts said.<br \/>\nThe International Court of Justice\u2019s (ICJ) first-ever advisory opinion on climate change contained a particularly strong position on fossil fuels that surprised even veteran observers of environmental law.<br \/>\nThe Hague, Netherlands-based court declared that states had an obligation under international law to address the \u201curgent and existential threat\u201d of climate change, a decision hailed as a milestone by small islands most at risk.<br \/>\n Climate activists demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, ahead of its advisory opinion on cli..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tie-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12805,"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12792\/revisions\/12805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skybeaconnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}