Marking its 10th anniversary, the Paris climate treaty has gained unprecedented legal enforceability thanks to an epochal International Court of Justice ruling, stemming from a student-led initiative. This, alongside the surprising global surge in renewable energy and the historic fight for the 1.5-degree target, signals a pivotal, though still insufficient, shift in climate action.
The article commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Paris climate treaty, a landmark agreement initially met with skepticism about its enforceability. A recent, epochal ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 23rd has dramatically changed this, declaring that all nations have a legal obligation to respond to the climate crisis. This ruling, which cites the Paris treaty as groundwork, obligates states to regulate businesses for emissions harm regardless of location and affirms the right to a clean environment as fundamental, guided by intergenerational equity. The case originated from 27 law students at the University of the South Pacific in 2019, who, with the support of Blue Ocean Law firm and Vanuatu as plaintiff, took their plea to The Hague. The unanimous decision is considered by experts like Ralph Regenvanu and Christiana Figueres as potentially the most consequential case in human history. The article also highlights the critical fight by Global South nations to establish the 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold in the Paris Agreement, pushing back against a 'reasonable' 2-degree target that would have been a death sentence for many. This advocacy led to the IPCC's 2018 report, which set the agenda for cutting pollution in half by 2030 and influenced major climate legislation like the US Inflation Reduction Act. A significant bright spot is the 'renewables revolution.' Since the Paris treaty, the cost of solar power has plummeted, outstripping predictions. By 2025, renewables are projected to surpass coal as an energy source, with the electricity sector becoming the largest energy employer. Innovations in battery storage have addressed intermittency issues, allowing regions like California to run on over 100% renewables during the day and store excess for night use. China is also rapidly transitioning, with CO2 emissions flat or falling. While acknowledging that far more action is needed, the article concludes that these efforts have 'bent the curve,' shifting the projected warming from 4 degrees to 2.5 degrees, emphasizing that while it's too late to save everything, it's never too late to save anything.
