Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour l’évaluation de l’impact environnemental?

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the implications of a July 2025 International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on climate change, specifically regarding Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). The document highlights the ICJ's ruling that EIAs for fossil fuel extraction projects must now account for end-use emissions (Scope 3, category 11), moving beyond just the emissions from extraction activities. It examines national and regional legal precedents, the subsequent influence on courts such as the European Court of Human Rights, and provides recommendations for states to update their legislation to mitigate legal risks.

• In July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion stating that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for fossil fuel extraction projects must include emissions resulting from the final use (combustion) of the extracted fuels.
• The ICJ's ruling addresses a significant gap in previous EIAs, which typically only focused on emissions from the extraction process itself, despite the fact that 75% to 85% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with a barrel of oil occur during final consumption.
• The ICJ identified 'Scope 3, category 11' emissions—those from the combustion of extracted fuels—as the most critical category to be included in these assessments.
• Prior to the ICJ opinion, the UK Supreme Court in the Finch v. Surrey County Council case and the EFTA Court in a case involving Norwegian oil fields had already ruled that downstream greenhouse gas emissions must be evaluated in EIAs for fossil fuel projects.
• The ICJ advisory opinion has already influenced subsequent rulings, including a 2025 decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and a 2026 decision by the Borgarting Court of Appeal, both of which required the quantification of combustion emissions in EIAs for oil and gas projects.
• Judges Bhandari and Cleveland argued that the obligation to include end-use emissions in risk assessments stems from due diligence and obligations under Articles 2 and 4 of the Paris Agreement.
• To reduce legal risks, the IISD recommends that states update their laws to ensure that: 1) the 'substitution' argument does not exempt a project from end-use emission assessments; 2) there is a rebuttable presumption that all produced fossil fuels will be burned; and 3) emissions are evaluated against global climate goals, such as the IPCC's 1.5 °C trajectory.

APA

Jones, N. (2026). Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour l’évaluation de l’impact environnemental? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmental-impact-assessment-fr.pdf

Chicago

Jones, Natalie. Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour l’évaluation de l’impact environnemental? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmental-impact-assessment-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jones |first1=Natalie |title=Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour l’évaluation de l’impact environnemental? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmental-impact-assessment-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jones2026que, author = {Jones, Natalie}, title = {{Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour l’évaluation de l’impact environnemental?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmental-impact-assessment-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }