The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark opinion affirming that States have legal obligations to combat climate change as an urgent and existential threat. Southeast Asia civil society welcomes this historic affirmation, which signals the end of fossil fuels and a pathway to climate justice and accountability.
The ICJ emphasized that the right to a clean and healthy environment is a fundamental human right. The Court underscored the States’ duty to take effective, immediate measures to reduce carbon emissions, prevent harm to vulnerable populations, and enforce existing climate commitments. This opinion also delivered a clear roadmap to hold polluters accountable under international law.
Southeast Asia is already bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, and this opinion marks a significant victory for frontline communities who have long fought for climate justice. This opinion also reinforces efforts to hold corporations accountable for driving fossil fuel expansion in the region. Now, Southeast Asian governments must act decisively to protect both people and the environment.
Southeast Asia civil society representatives give their takes:
Anj Dacanay, Lead Campaigner, Energy Shift Southeast Asia
In Southeast Asia, where communities face rising seas, super typhoons, and worsening climate impacts, the ICJ opinion is a beacon of hope for frontline communities who have long demanded climate justice. It is also a clarion call for urgent and ambitious climate action. The message is clear: states must align with the 1.5°C goal, and this is only possible through a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels toward people-centered, renewable energy.
Gerry Arances, Executive Director, Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (Philippines)
“This ruling by the world’s highest court dismantles the final barrier of impunity for governments and corporations that perpetuate the climate crisis. They can no longer claim ignorance or hide behind feeble policies and hollow promises. The law is clear, and it demands immediate action to protect the people and communities dependent on our environment. True accountability begins now; we must end the business-as-usual approach for the world’s worst polluters without delay.”
Adam Farhan, Founder and Director, RimbaWatch (Malaysia)
“The ICJ ruling aligns the legal field with scientific consensus: fossil fuel production is the most significant risk to planetary health today, and the exacerbation of fossil fuel emissions, through allowing production, provisions of exploration licenses, and even subsidies, constitutes a violation of international law. This compels not just highly polluting companies, but states harboring such polluters, to phase out fossil fuels – and will likely spark a wave of litigation suits around the world against petrostates to enforce this ruling.”
Muhammad Reza Sahib, National Coordinator of The People’s Coalition for the Right to Water (KRuHA) and Convener of Don’t Gas Indonesia (DGI)
“The ICJ opinion affirms what communities across Southeast Asia have long asserted: the fossil fuel economy is incompatible with human rights and ecological survival. It’s time for governments to stop enabling destructive projects like LNG and coal expansion under the false narrative of development. International law is now on the side of the people. This is our legal and moral mandate to dismantle extractivism, restore justice, and transition to community-centered, renewable energy.”
Bhima Yudhistira, Executive Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) (Indonesia)
“Banks financing fossil fuel projects, including captive coal and LNG plants, will face significant legal risks following the ICJ’s opinion. We urge banks, central banks, and financial services authorities, especially in ASEAN member countries, to consider the ICJ’s opinion as a key consideration when providing funding. The costs of financing projects that contradict climate and community interests are not commensurate with the risks borne by the financiers.”