World court’s climate ruling a legal warning shot for Luxon – Greenpeace

Greenpeace Aotearoa says the world’s highest court has just delivered a wake-up call for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

In a historic climate ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has confirmed that governments have legal obligations to protect people – both now and in the future – from the worsening impacts of the climate crisis. That includes regulating big polluters like fossil fuel companies and intensive livestock operations.

“This is a warning shot to Luxon that his Government’s war on nature and the climate comes with consequences,” says Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson.

“The Court has made it clear: states must take action to prevent climate harm, no matter where it occurs. They must uphold people’s fundamental right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment – for today’s communities and future generations.”

The ICJ ruling goes beyond the Paris Agreement, reinforcing that governments have a duty to regulate climate pollution, cooperate internationally, and prevent environmental harm. It strengthens the legal grounds for climate-impacted communities to hold governments accountable.

Since taking office, the Luxon Government has scrapped or weakened numerous key climate policies. It has:

• Overturned the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration
• Pledged to fast-track coal mining
• Shelved agricultural emissions pricing
• Exempted the country’s worst climate polluter – intensive dairying – from meaningful accountability

“Luxon is elevating the profits of polluters above people’s fundamental human rights,” says Larsson. “This ruling puts him – and governments like his – on notice.”

The dairy industry, led by Fonterra, is New Zealand’s largest climate polluter. Yet under pressure from lobby groups, the Government has rolled back environmental safeguards and is now considering weakening methane targets – despite clear advice from the Climate Change Commission that action on methane must be strengthened.

Earlier this year, Luxon received a letter authored by dozens of international climate scientists accusing him of ignoring scientific evidence on methane and urging him to follow the Climate Commission’s advice to strengthen New Zealand’s methane target. The letter was featured on the front page of the Financial Times.

“New Zealand is the world’s largest dairy exporter and a major player in the global livestock industry,” says Larsson.

“How New Zealand addresses livestock emissions sets an important precedent for the rest of the world. If Luxon guts the methane target, New Zealand risks breaching the Paris Agreement and, by extension, its trade agreements with partners like the UK and EU.”

The historic ICJ ruling is a result of action taken in 2019 by 27 law students from The University of the South Pacific. As the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, they campaigned for the ICJ to issue an Advisory Opinion on the responsibilities of States in respect to climate change. The resolution, put forward by Vanuatu alongside a global alliance of States, passed the United Nations General Assembly unanimously in March 2023, co-sponsored by over 130 countries.

“As this ruling shows, the courts are becoming an increasingly important venue for climate justice – because governments like ours are failing to protect people and the planet. And when that happens, people will step up to defend their future.”