UN declares climate protection a legal obligation under international law

Supkem Secretary in Homa Bay County Abdul Masud and pupils of Homa Bay Primary School during tree planting in a programme dubbed Back to School with a Seedling. [James Omoro, Standard]

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a landmark resolution declaring that protecting the environment from greenhouse gas emissions is a strict legal obligation under international law.

The decision, which is being hailed as a historic turning point for environmental law, could change how local communities fight against extreme weather, shifting the burden of climate change from citizens to national governments.

The vote formally endorses a historic ruling by the World Court, which found that governments are legally responsible for climate-change-related damage and can be held accountable if they fail to act.

Historically, global climate agreements such as the Paris Agreement have relied heavily on voluntary targets and political promises. The new resolution now changes the approach by aligning politics with international law.

The world’s largest environmental networks, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), have welcomed the new resolutions.

IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar said the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but an existential crisis for humanity.

“This is a powerful reminder that protecting the climate system is not only an environmental imperative, but a legal and moral responsibility. We urge all countries to act with the urgency, ambition, and solidarity that this moment demands,” he said.

Dr Aguilar urged countries to act with urgency, ambition and solidarity and to uphold their obligations under international law without further delay.

“The time to address global warming, with true resolve, is now,” he said.

IUCN’s World Commission on Environmental Law, Chairperson Christina Voigt, emphasized that the votes provide undeniable proof of a worldwide consensus on the legal obligations of states on climate change.

“This alignment of law and politics, the support of multilateralism and the turn to implementation give hope, direction and the legal architecture for getting there,” Prof Voigt said.

Under this new framework, climate is now tied to customary international law and treaty law, which means it is a legal duty rather than a choice.

The new UN resolution demands that states comply with their obligations. It also orders a comprehensive report on ways to enforce compliance and bridge gaps in current global climate efforts.

While the resolution is a massive victory for environmental advocates, the battle now shifts to implementation. The UN General Assembly expressed its determination to turn the legal findings into accelerated climate action.