Typically it takes a lawsuit to get issues carried out.
Many sustainability consultants say judicial motion is among the strongest instruments civil society can use to drive sustainability outcomes within the close to time period, based on a worldwide survey by Trellis knowledge associate by GlobeScan in collaboration with ERM and Volans. This view has gained important traction in mild of the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice’s historic advisory opinion on local weather change issued in July, which declares {that a} clear, wholesome and sustainable surroundings is a basic human proper.
The ICJ’s landmark ruling affirms that international locations have authorized obligations to stop environmental hurt beneath worldwide regulation. Crucially, the ruling finds that states failing to fulfill their local weather commitments are in breach of worldwide regulation and that they need to cooperate to realize concrete emissions discount targets. This reframes local weather motion as a authorized crucial somewhat than a coverage choice, and elevates the strategic significance of litigation, authorized techniques and accountability mechanisms within the world sustainability agenda.
Alongside authorized avenues, consultants additionally level to schooling and management improvement, coverage advocacy and media scrutiny as high civil society methods to speed up progress. In distinction, much less structured or symbolic approaches, akin to NGO campaigns, public protests or boycotts are seen as much less impactful in reaching systemic change.
What this implies
The ICJ’s advisory opinion could also be a turning level for local weather justice. Though technically not legally binding, it sends a strong message that might reshape worldwide local weather negotiations and jurisprudence. For the greater than 3,000 pending local weather lawsuits globally, the ICJ’s affirmation of authorized obligations presents recent momentum and potential authorized precedent for holding governments and firms accountable.
For companies and policymakers, this implies local weather litigation danger is rising. The advisory opinion might also affect the tone of negotiations at COP30, fueling elevated strain for enforceable targets and local weather finance for susceptible international locations.
Trying forward, authorized motion could not be a final resort and will as an alternative turn out to be a major lever within the sustainability toolbox. Firms could be smart to watch evolving authorized norms, proactively align with worldwide commitments and embed local weather danger into their governance and technique earlier than courts and public strain drive their hand.
Primarily based on a survey of 844 sustainability practitioners throughout 72 international locations performed April-Could 2025.