Could Poor Countries Hold the U.S. Accountable for Climate Chaos?
The verdict is in: Rich countries can be held responsible for their contributions to climate change. And that decision could leave the United States more isolated than ever.
In late July, the UN’s highest court — the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—unanimously ruled that countries have an obligation to prevent catastrophic climate change by transitioning from fossil fuels and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The ruling specifically condemned governments that subsidize fossil fuels and license their expansion — and said that these actions may make states liable for harmful climate impacts.
In the last year, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) and International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) have made similar rulings. The overarching conclusion: mainstream global institutions are calling for an end to fossil fuels.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government is heading in the wrong direction.
President Trump has declared a fake “national energy emergency” to accelerate the permitting of fossil fuel projects. And Congress has passed a monstrous budget bill that, alongside deep cuts to the social safety net and tax cuts for billionaires, expanded the already excessive U.S. subsidies offered to this polluting, profitable industry.
In a particularly egregious move, the Trump administration has even proposed eliminating the key legal authority for the U.S. government to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants. This flies in the face of decades of overwhelming scientific evidence — and underscores the Trump regime’s contempt for science, reason and justice.
