Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said that the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) will hear a complaint launched by small island states seeking justice for Climate Change harm.
Antigua-Barbuda, Niue, Palau, St. Lucia, and Tuvalu presented the case to ITLOS for the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS). Browne co-founded COSIS at COP26 last year.
ITLOS agreed on December 16 to hear “oral proceedings” on issuing an Advisory Opinion on states’ responsibility to minimize, prevent, or control Climate Change consequences.
Browne added, “ITLOS’s decision to examine COSIS’s petition and set a specific timeframe for responses signal that the international body considers the request for an Advisory Opinion worthy of study.”
He noted that COSIS members are “encouraged by ITLOS’s judgment, which sends a clear signal to polluting countries that their actions may have legal consequences.”
Browned urged Caribbean island nations to join COSIS.
Browne remarked, “All our governments have a duty to protect our homelands for this and future generations.”
