Australia has backed a major United Nations resolution for to pass a landmark legal ruling on climate change.
The UN General Assembly voted to endorse last year’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which found countries can be held legally responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions.
Twenty-eight countries abstained from voting while Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Yemen voted against the resolution.
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The vote has been celebrated by climate and environment groups worldwide.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said, “This ruling establishes that the Albanese Government has a legal duty to protect Aussies from an escalating climate crisis that is already a clear and present danger.
“From farmers facing ruin, to regional communities pummelled by back-to-back disasters, this crisis is hitting home right now and upending our Australian way of life.
“While the government is ramping up renewable power, it is still giving fossil fuel giants a free ride. Continuing to wave through massive new coal and gas projects puts our kids’ future at risk and is now clearly against international law.
“Australia rightly voted in favour of this resolution but a vote is just a symbolic gesture if it is not matched by action. Maintaining a $19 billion annual gravy train for multinational polluters is like pouring petrol on a fire while the rest of the world tries to put it out. To be a credible President of Negotiations for COP31, Australia must commit to an orderly phase-out of all fossil fuels.”
Climate Council Fellow Wesley Morgan said the resolution was a massive victory for Vanuatu and the Pacific leaders who have spent decades fighting for survival on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
“For far too long, fossil fuel heavyweights have treated climate action as a political choice, but the UN General Assembly has now confirmed it is a binding legal duty,” he said.
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“As the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia can no longer ignore the catastrophic impacts our coal and gas exports are causing globally. We cannot continue to export climate pollution and expect to avoid accountability.
“The Australian Government must now take science-backed action to rapidly phase out fossil fuels and immediately end the approval of any new coal, oil, and gas projects.”
