Nepal’s climate justice fight gains ground with ICJ opinion

On July 23, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a historic Advisory Opinion on climate justice, marking a transformative turning point in the global struggle for climate justice. This opinion, delivered at the request of the United Nations General Assembly and led by Vanuatu with the support of Nepal and many other countries, declared that all states have binding legal obligations under international law to prevent climate harm and to protect the rights of both present and future generations.

For Nepal, a nation that has contributed negligibly to global greenhouse gas emissions yet bears the brunt of the climate crisis, this ruling is not just historic, it is deeply personal and profound. The ICJ’s opinion grants international legal recognition to the lived pain of millions of Nepalis who have long suffered from the consequences of a crisis they did not cause.