Maintaining Restraint: Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Climate Change, dated 23 July 2025

The 2025 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Climate Change is seen as part of a coordinated effort by the Global South to hold Western countries accountable for their "historical" contributions to climate change, which are directly linked to their colonial past. Despite the apparent pressure on the court, it has been cautious in its conclusions about the responsibility of one group of states towards another, emphasizing that all states, albeit to varying degrees, contribute to global warming. Given the caution of international courts in matters of state responsibility, it seems more promising for applicants to file lawsuits against major Western companiesemitters of greenhouse gases. In this case, the real steps taken by states to reduce the rate of global warming take a backseat, and the main focus of the lawsuits is on compensation.