The text, which seeks to establish legal bases for climate justice, was promoted by Vanuatu, a tiny Pacific Island nation vulnerable to extreme climate effects.

The resolution, which was co-sponsored by more than 120 countries including the UK, but not the US, will help establish a legal litmus test of sorts for the global climate justice movement seeking to hold countries to account for climate failures in the courts.

It also asks the ICJ for obligations under international law to guarantee protection for the climate system and other elements from greenhouse gas emissions for the benefit of States and present and future generations.

The ICJ´s advisory opinions are quite important and can have a long-term impact on the international legal order, UN Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres stressed.

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