Antigua and Barbuda has welcomed the highly anticipated opinion that was delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of States in relation to climate change.
The Opinion, which was delivered publicly on 23rd July 2025, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, marks a major development in international legal responses to the climate crisis.
The Court, in its bold and declarative response, clarified the obligations of all states on the burning issue of climate change.
For example, the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature goal, which the Science community agrees must be achieved to prevent irreversible climatic impacts, has been reinforced by the court as a binding obligation.
The opinion also clarified the obligations of states on Nationally Determined Contributions, otherwise known as NDCS, which is a requirement under the Paris Agreement for all countries to spell out exactly how they will reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. The court declared that NDCs are not merely discretionary, rather they are a binding obligation that must increase in climate ambition on each cycle.
It further offered that rising sea levels will not affect established baselines, nor the continued presumption of the State in international law.
Antigua & Barbuda is particularly proud of the leading role that SIDS have played in this Vanuatu-led initiative and other advisory opinions, such as the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Advisory Opinion led by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS), which was co-chaired by Antigua and Barbuda and Tuvalu.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne called the ruling an historic and landmark moment in the unrelenting struggle for climate justice for Small Island Developing States.
“This opinion is a landmark ruling that will be studied for decades to come. It simultaneously depicts the struggles that SIDS have been facing as a result of the climate crisis for decades; gives voice to the current tensions experienced and balance with which vulnerable communities and peoples like ours have to navigate the complicated international legal spaces,” Prime Minister Browne stated.
“Finally, it amplifies our call, which we have been making for years, that the current climate ambition and action is nowhere near enough and without a significant change the whole world will be affected,” he further stressed.
Antigua and Barbuda looks forward to collaborating with those on the right side of history, to make sure the decisions captured in the opinion are fully operationalised into the future and incorporated into the overarching goals of SIDS.
The full text of the ICJ Advisory Opinion is available at https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/187/187-20250723-adv-01-00-en.pdf, with additional materials and summaries expected to follow.