Hamburg [Germany], May 22: Man-made greenhouse gases constitute pollution of the oceans according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and states are obliged to take measures against such pollution, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea said in a landmark decision on Tuesday.
The Hamburg-based UN court was asked to issue an opinion on the extent to which states are obliged by international law to take stronger measures in the fight against climate change.
It was requested by a group of nine small island states in the Pacific and the Caribbean. The countries all see their existence threatened because sea levels are rising due to global warming. The court said man-made greenhouse gases constitute pollution of the oceans and governments must take measures to reduce this, and other agreements - such as the Paris Agreement - do not release them from the obligation to do so. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune