Government must take stronger climate action following ICJ opinion
ActionAid Australia has urged the Albanese Government to urgently step up its climate action, following a landmark advisory opinion overnight at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which has determined that countries like Australia must act to protect people and the environment.
The ICJ advisory opinion means that polluting countries like Australia have an obligation to urgently phase out fossil fuels and ensure climate plans align with a 1.5°C future as well as compensating frontline communities for the climate damage they have caused.
ActionAid Australia Executive Director Michelle Higelin said:
“The ICJ ruling is clear – Australia must do all it can to keep global heating to 1.5 degrees. This is not a choice, this is an obligation to take stronger and more urgent action.
“ActionAid calls on Australia to urgently transition away from fossil fuels, and to scale up climate finance to low-income countries for climate adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage. The climate funding gap for women and frontline communities in these countries is growing by the day with increasing climate disasters and deepening inequalities faced by some of the most vulnerable groups.
ActionAid Vanuatu Country Manager Flora Vano, who travelled to the Hague last year to deliver testimony as part of the ICJ proceedings, said:
“The powerful polluters don’t seem to care that their actions are destroying countries like mine, and intensifying burdens on women, who often bear the brunt of climate impacts. We can feel so helpless as we lose our homes, our livelihoods, and our safety to terrifying storms and rising seas. This historic legal decision from the ICJ gives us hope that communities, especially women and girls on the frontlines of this crisis, will finally be able to fight back for justice and accountability.
“This ruling is a powerful tool we can use to demand that those most responsible for this climate crisis be held accountable. As the planet’s weather becomes more chaotic, this ruling paves the way for the protections and reparations we desperately need to rebuild our lives and secure a just future.”
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Flora Vano is available for interviews. Photos are available on request.
Contact
Stephanie Wulf, Senior Communications Manager, ActionAid Australia
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global women’s rights organisation, working with women on the frontlines of injustice – including the climate crisis, conflicts, and humanitarian emergencies. We work with more than 41 million people living in over 70 countries, supporting women to transform their lives and their communities.