联合国最高法院裁定,各国可因气候变化问题相互提起诉讼。
【新闻摘要】
联合国最高法庭上演"气候版秋后算账":海牙国际法院近日裁定,各国可就气候变化问题相互起诉,包括追究历史排放责任!这个由太平洋岛国法学院学生2019年突发奇想推动的案子,如今让图瓦卢小伙激动得语无伦次:"今晚能睡安稳觉了"。不过法官也泼了盆冷水——要证明"谁该为哪部分气候灾难买单"比解开一团乱麻还难。最戏剧的是,英国一边强调"现有气候协议足够用",一边被法院打脸说"巴黎协定承诺只是底线"。现在马尔代夫们已经摩拳擦掌准备索赔(光适应海平面上升就要90亿美元),但问题来了:美国中国压根不认这个法院的管辖权,而特朗普政府直接甩出经典台词"America First"。看来这场"气候官司"最可能的结果是——小岛国赢了道理,却拿不到钱袋子。
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**Top UN court says countries can sue each other over climate change**
联合国最高法庭裁定国家间可就气候变化相互起诉
**8 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard and Georgina Rannard BBC Climate and Science Share Save**
8小时前 分享 保存 BBC气候与科学记者埃斯米·斯塔拉德和乔治娜·兰纳德 分享 保存
**Getty Images Rising seas are swallowing islands in the Marshall Islands**
Getty Images 上涨的海水正在吞噬马绍尔群岛的岛屿
A landmark decision by the UN's top court has opened the door for countries to sue each other over climate change damages, including liability for historic carbon emissions. But judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague stressed Wednesday that attributing specific climate impacts to individual nations will be"exceptionally complex". The advisory ruling carries no legal force but experts say it could reshape global climate litigation. For frontline nations like Vanuatu - considered the world's most climate-vulnerable country - the decision marks a hard-won victory after years of frustration with stalled global climate action.
联合国最高法庭里程碑式的裁决为各国就气候变化损害相互起诉打开大门,包括追究历史碳排放责任。但海牙国际法院法官周三强调,将具体气候影响归咎于个别国家"异常复杂"。这份咨询性裁决虽无强制力,但专家称可能重塑全球气候诉讼格局。对瓦努阿图等前沿国家(全球气候最脆弱地区)而言,在全球气候行动停滞多年后,这份裁决标志着来之不易的胜利。
**Dorka Bauer Pacific islanders celebrated outside the Peace Palace after the ruling**
Dorka Bauer 裁决公布后太平洋岛国民众在和平宫外庆祝
The groundbreaking case originated from a 2019 idea by Pacific law students witnessing their homelands disappear under rising seas. Among them was Tongan student Siosiua Veikune, who stood tearfully outside the Peace Palace after the verdict:"I'm speechless. This is the moment we've fought for - our suffering finally recognized," he told BBC News. Vanuatu's Flora Vano added:"Tonight our children will sleep knowing their future has legal protection." The ICJ's global authority means its opinion could immediately influence cases worldwide, with lawyers predicting it may be cited in national courts as early as next week. Climate-vulnerable nations hope this paves the way for compensation claims against major historical emitters like the US and EU nations.
这起开创性案件源自2019年太平洋法学院学生的构想,他们目睹故乡被海水吞噬。汤加学生西奥西瓦·维库恩在裁决后含泪站在和平宫外:"我无言以对。这是我们奋斗的时刻——我们的苦难终被承认。"瓦努阿图的弗洛拉·瓦诺补充:"今晚我们的孩子可以安睡,知道未来有了法律保障。"国际法院的全球权威意味着其意见可能立即影响全球案件,律师预测最早下周就会在国内法院被引用。气候脆弱国家希望这为向美欧等历史排放大国索赔铺平道路。
**Dorka Bauer Siosiua Veikune (centre) with fellow Pacific climate activists**
Dorka Bauer 西奥西瓦·维库恩(中)与太平洋气候活动家们
In a rebuke to wealthy nations, the court rejected arguments that the 2015 Paris Agreement alone governs climate obligations. Judge Iwasawa Yuji ruled countries must pursue"the most ambitious possible" climate plans, and even non-Paris members like the US remain bound by international environmental law. The decision also establishes that governments can be liable for corporate emissions within their borders - potentially implicating fossil fuel subsidies and new drilling permits."This shatters business-as-usual," said CIEL attorney Joie Chowdhury, calling it a"watershed moment" granting victims"remedy for climate harm including compensation."
法院驳斥富裕国家"巴黎协定已足够"的论点,法官岩泽雄二裁定各国必须制定"最雄心勃勃的"气候计划,连美国等非巴黎成员国也受国际环境法约束。裁决还确立政府可能为境内企业排放担责——可能波及化石燃料补贴和新钻探许可。"这打破了常规,"CIEL律师乔伊·乔杜里称这是让受害者获得"气候损害补救包括赔偿"的"分水岭时刻"。
**Getty Images Vanuatu's capital Port Vila after Cyclone Pam in 2015**
Getty Images 2015年帕姆飓风后的瓦努阿图首都维拉港
The ruling specifies that climate-vulnerable states may claim for destroyed infrastructure and even seek compensation when territory becomes uninhabitable. Vanuatu's legal team highlighted their $9 billion climate adaptation needs - equivalent to 300% of GDP."This is money we don't have for problems we didn't cause," said barrister Jennifer Robinson. While any compensation would be determined case-by-case, Nature journal estimates global climate damages at $2.8 trillion from 2000-2019 - $16 million hourly.
裁决明确气候脆弱国家可索赔被毁基础设施,甚至当领土无法居住时寻求补偿。瓦努阿图律师团队强调其90亿美元气候适应需求——相当于GDP的300%。"这是我们没有的钱,用来解决非我们造成的问题,"大律师詹妮弗·罗宾逊说。虽然赔偿将逐案判定,《自然》期刊估计2000-2019年全球气候损失达2.8万亿美元——每小时1600万美元。
**Legal hurdles remain**
法律障碍仍在
Enforcement remains the elephant in the room. The ICJ lacks enforcement power, and major emitters like the US and China don't accept its compulsory jurisdiction. A White House spokesperson reiterated Trump's"America First" stance when asked about the ruling. Even within the ICJ's jurisdiction,"compliance depends on geopolitics, not police," noted barrister Harj Narulla. Some nations may instead pursue cases in US federal courts or other venues where defendants are bound.
执行仍是房间里的大象。国际法院缺乏强制力,而美中等排放大国不接受其强制管辖权。白宫发言人被问及裁决时重申特朗普"美国优先"立场。即使在国际法院管辖范围内,"遵守取决于地缘政治而非警察,"大律师哈吉·纳鲁拉指出。一些国家可能转而选择被告受约束的美国联邦法院等场所提起诉讼。
**Getty Images A child in the Marshall Islands watches rising tides claim his playground**
Getty Images 马绍尔群岛的孩子看着潮水吞噬他的游乐场
As Pacific islanders celebrated with traditional dances outside the courthouse, the bittersweet reality lingered: while the ruling affirms their rights, turning legal victories into tangible reparations may prove as difficult as holding back the rising seas.
当太平洋岛民在法院外跳起传统舞蹈庆祝时,苦乐参半的现实挥之不去:虽然裁决确认了他们的权利,但将法律胜利转化为切实赔偿可能像阻挡上涨海水一样困难。