Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour les accords multilatéraux sur l’environnement?

The document examines the 2025 ICJ advisory opinion, which establishes that climate obligations are not isolated to the UN climate regime but are reinforced by other multilateral environmental agreements and human rights law. It argues that states must implement these obligations in an integrated manner to demonstrate due diligence and avoid legal consequences for inaction.

• The ICJ rejected the 'lex specialis' doctrine, which argued that only the UN climate regime creates legal obligations. Instead, the Court adopted the principle of systemic integration, ruling that climate obligations are reinforced by other MEAs, human rights law, customary international law, and general principles of law.
• States are required to integrate climate considerations when implementing obligations under specific agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (and the Montreal Protocol).
• The Court linked climate inaction to violations of human rights, specifically recognizing the right to life, health, privacy, and the rights of women, children, and indigenous peoples. It identified the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a prerequisite for these rights.
• Implementation of other MEAs can serve as evidence of a state's 'due diligence' regarding its climate obligations. For example, actions taken under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (Target 8) or land degradation neutrality goals can support a state's compliance with the Paris Agreement.
• Non-compliance with international law regarding climate obligations triggers state responsibility, which may result in the cessation of the illicit act, restitution of the previous situation, financial compensation if restitution is impossible, or 'satisfaction' such as official apologies.
• The ICJ suggests that the status of a 'developing country' is not static and depends on evolving 'national circumstances.' This means states may transition out of the developing category and acquire new legal obligations typical of developed countries, such as assisting vulnerable nations with adaptation and increasing efforts to meet the 1.5 °C target.

APA

Kosolapova, E. (2026). Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour les accords multilatéraux sur l’environnement? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-multilateral-environmental-agreements-fr.pdf

Chicago

Kosolapova, Elena. Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour les accords multilatéraux sur l’environnement? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-multilateral-environmental-agreements-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{kosolapova2026que, author = {Kosolapova, Elena}, title = {{Que signifie l’avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de Justice sur le changement climatique pour les accords multilatéraux sur l’environnement?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-03/icj-advisory-opinion-multilateral-environmental-agreements-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }