Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour les subventions nuisibles à l’environnement?

This IISD briefing analyzes the July 2025 ICJ advisory opinion, which suggests that providing fossil fuel subsidies may constitute an internationally wrongful act. It argues that this legal reasoning could extend to other harmful subsidies, such as those in agriculture, and urges states to implement transparent, gradual phase-outs of such incentives to reduce their international legal risk.

• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion in July 2025 stating that providing fossil fuel subsidies may be an internationally wrongful act. The Court clarified that international legal obligations regarding climate change extend beyond direct greenhouse gas emissions to include activities such as continuing to produce fossil fuels or subsidizing their exploitation.
• While the ICJ's decision explicitly mentions fossil fuel subsidies, the briefing argues that the reasoning can be applied by analogy to other climate-harmful subsidies, such as those in agriculture and plastics. This is based on the Court's view that relevant behaviors include any state actions or omissions that expose the climate system to the harmful effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
• The ICJ established that a state's capacities and resources are decisive factors in determining the standard of 'due diligence' required to prevent and control transboundary environmental damage. However, all states, regardless of their resource levels, are required to use all available means to protect the climate system.
• Global government support for environmentally harmful subsidies exceeds $2 trillion annually, with fossil fuel subsidies alone accounting for $900 billion in 2024. Despite various political commitments from the G7, G20, and other bodies, subsidies have often increased; for example, G7 fossil fuel subsidies rose from $66.8 billion in 2014 to $133 billion in 2024.
• The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's Target 18 aims to identify and eliminate or reform biodiversity-harmful incentives by 2025, with a goal of reducing them by at least $500 billion per year by 2030.
• To mitigate legal risks following the ICJ opinion, governments are advised to phase out harmful subsidies through transparency (e.g., creating inventories), a gradual approach to avoid social disruption, timing reforms with low international prices, and redirecting funds toward social protection and green solutions. The briefing also recommends joining the Coalition for the Phasing Out of Fossil Fuel Incentives including Subsidies (COFFIS).

APA

Jones, N. (2026). Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour les subventions nuisibles à l’environnement? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmentally-harmful-subsidies-fr.pdf

Chicago

Jones, Natalie. Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour les subventions nuisibles à l’environnement? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmentally-harmful-subsidies-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 les subventions nuisibles à l’environnement? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmentally-harmful-subsidies-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 les subventions nuisibles à l’environnement?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-environmentally-harmful-subsidies-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }