Prime Minister Gaston Browne has expressed his satisfaction with a groundbreaking decision on climate justice in support of a coalition of Small Island SStates, including Antigua and Barbuda.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has ruled in favor of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS)stating that greenhouse gas emissions absorbed by the ocean should be considered marine pollution and that states are obligated to protect the world’s oceans by reducingthese emissions.
Prime Minister Browne, who presented the case on behalf of small stateslast year,emphasized the significance of the ITLOS opinion, stating that it will shafuture legal and diplomatic efforts to address the inaction that has brought us to to the edge of an irreversible disaster.
“The decision marks a historic milestone in our collective journey towards environmental justice and climate governance. The ITLOS opinicon will inform our futurelegal and diplomatic work in putting an end to the inaction thas brought the brink of an irreversible disaster”, he said.