itlos

“Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases constitute a form of pollution of the marine environment”.This is what the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos), an independent body of the United Nations, established in an advisory opinion released on 21 May.The opinion is not binding, but the decision has the potential to influence case law.In other words, the decision can be used in future climate litigation at any level to force governments to improve their policies against the climate crisis.The advice comes in response to a group of small island states particularly threatened by climate change.The increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere means that a greater quantity reacts with sea water, causing an increase in the acidity of the oceans with absolutely non-negligible consequences on marine life and the balance of ecosystems. Such a decision comes out from a historic hearing, staged in the court in Hamburg, Germany, last September, when small...