UN's top court says failing to protect planet from climate change could violate international law

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ top court in a landmark advisory opinion Wednesday said countries could be in violation of international law if they fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change, and nations harmed by its effects could be entitled to reparations.

Advocates immediately cheered the International Court of Justice opinion on nations’ obligations to tackle climate change and the consequences they may face if they don’t.

“Failure of a state to take appropriate action to protect the climate system ... may constitute an internationally wrongful act,” court President Yuji Iwasawa said during the hearing. He called the climate crisis “an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet.”

The non-binding opinion, backed unanimously by the court's 15 judges, was hailed as a turning point in international climate law.

Notably, the court said a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” is a human right. That paves the way for other legal actions, including states returning to the ICJ to hold each other to account as well as domestic lawsuits, along with legal instruments like investment agreements.

The case was led by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and backed by more than 130 countries.

All U.N. member states including major greenhouse gas emitters like the United States and China are parties to the court.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the “historic” advisory opinion.

“This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference,” he said in a statement. “Young Pacific islanders initiated this call for humanity to the world. And the world must respond.”

Climate activists had gathered outside the crowded court with a banner that read: “Courts have spoken. The law is clear. States must ACT NOW.” They watched the ruling on a giant screen, clapping and cheering at times during the two-hour hearing.

“Today, the tables have turned. The world’s highest court provided us with a powerful new tool to protect people from the devastating impacts of the climate crisis — and to deliver justice for the harm their emissions have already caused,” former U.N. human rights chief Mary Robinson said in a statement.

“The ICJ’s decision brings us closer to a world where governments can no longer turn a blind eye to their legal responsibilities. It affirms a simple truth of climate justice: Those who did the least to fuel this crisis deserve protection, reparations, and a future,” said Vishal Prasad, director of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change.

After years of lobbying by vulnerable island nations who fear they could disappear under rising sea waters, the U.N. General Assembly asked the ICJ in 2023 for an advisory opinion, an important basis for international obligations.

Its panel was tasked with answering two questions: What are countries obliged to do under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? Second, what are the legal consequences for governments when their acts, or lack of action, have significantly harmed the climate and environment?

“The stakes could not be higher. The survival of my people and so many others is on the line,” Arnold Kiel Loughman, attorney general of the island nation of Vanuatu, told the court during a week of hearings in December.

In the decade up to 2023, sea levels rose by a global average of around 4.3 centimeters (1.7 inches), with parts of the Pacific rising higher still. The world has also warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times because of the burning of fossil fuels.

Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s minister for climate change, called the ruling a "very important course correction in this critically important time. For the first time in history, the ICJ has spoken directly about the biggest threat facing humanity.”

He said the ruling exceeded his expectations. “I didn’t expect it to be good. It’s good. And it did go above and beyond,” he told reporters in The Hague.

Activists could bring lawsuits against their own countries for failing to comply with the decision, which ran to over 130 pages.

The senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, Erika Lennon, said the ruling also can be used as leverage at the next U.N. climate conference later this year in the Brazilian city of Belém.

"States must take this ICJ ruling and use it to advance ambitious outcomes at COP30 and beyond. People and the planet deserve it,” she said.

The United States and Russia, both of whom are major petroleum-producing states, are staunchly opposed to the court mandating emissions reductions. The Trump administration has again withdrawn the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and has made it harder to find scientific assessments of how climate change endangers the U.S. and its people.

Asked to comment on the ruling, White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said: “As always, President Trump and the entire administration is committed to putting America first and prioritizing the interests of everyday Americans.”

Those who cling to fossil fuels could go broke doing it, the U.N. secretary-general told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview this week.

Simply having the U.N. court issue an opinion is the latest in a series of legal victories for the small island nations. Earlier this month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that countries have a legal duty not only to avoid environmental harm but also to protect and restore ecosystems. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that countries must better protect their people from the consequences of climate change.

In 2019, the Netherlands' Supreme court handed down the first major legal win for climate activists when judges ruled that protection from the potentially devastating effects of climate change was a human right and that the government has a duty to protect its citizens.

The presiding judge on Wednesday acknowledged that international law had “an important but ultimately limited role in resolving this problem,” and said a lasting solution will need the contribution of all fields of human knowledge "to secure a future for ourselves and those who are yet to come.”

Associated Press writers Annika Hammerschlag in Vanuatu and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Presiding judge Yuji Iwasawa, third from right, speaks at the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Ralph Regenvanu, center, Vanuatu's minister for climate change, speaks after the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion about nations' obligations to tackle climate change and consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Judges, right, arrive to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

An activist holds a fan that reads "make polluters pay" as they demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and which consequences they may face if they don't, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Activists demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu's minister for climate change, speaks surrounded by demonstrators as he arrives to the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

What remains of the "Tree of Life" on Sunday, July 20, 2025, is visible off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, after being toppled by cyclones in 2023 and further damaged by an earthquake in 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A sea turtle nibbles on what remains of the once vibrant reef at Havannah Harbour, off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A gravestone lies just feet from the shoreline on Pele Island, Vanuatu, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Ralph Regenvanu, center, Vanuatu's minister for climate change, arrives in the International Court of Justice, ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Presiding judge Yuji Iwasawa, second from right, speaks at a hearing to deliver an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Presiding judge Yuji Iwasawa, third from right, speaks at the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Ralph Regenvanu, center, Vanuatu's minister for climate change, speaks after the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion about nations' obligations to tackle climate change and consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Judges, right, arrive to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

An activist holds a fan that reads "make polluters pay" as they demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and which consequences they may face if they don't, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Activists demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu's minister for climate change, speaks surrounded by demonstrators as he arrives to the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don't, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

What remains of the "Tree of Life" on Sunday, July 20, 2025, is visible off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, after being toppled by cyclones in 2023 and further damaged by an earthquake in 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A sea turtle nibbles on what remains of the once vibrant reef at Havannah Harbour, off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A gravestone lies just feet from the shoreline on Pele Island, Vanuatu, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.

“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”

A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”

Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.

When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.

“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”

Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.

The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.

“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”

AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)