AGP Awan calls for global action on climate change at ICJ

THE HAGUE: In a landmark presentation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Attorney General Mansoor for Pakistan (AGP) Usman Awan called for an urgent need for global cooperation to address the climate crisis.

Presenting during the “Advisory Opinion Hearing on State Obligations” regarding Climate Change, Awan highlighted Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to climate-related disasters. “For the human race, turning a Nelson’s eye to the climate emergency is no longer an option,” he said.

The attorney general provided details of Pakistan’s recent environmental challenges. He said that in 2010, devastating floods submerged one-fifth of the country, displacing six million people, killing 2,000, and causing economic losses of approximately $10 billion. The 2022 floods were even more catastrophic, affecting 33 million people, destroying over 2 million homes, 30,000 schools, and 2,000 health facilities, with reconstruction needs exceeding $16 billion and a GDP impact of $15.2 billion.

Awan highlighted the compounding environmental challenges, including rising temperatures, water and wind erosion, soil fertility depletion, deforestation, and increasing desertification. He warned that the 2010 and 2022 floods are indicative of more severe climate events to come in the absence of immediate global action.

Legally, Pakistan argued for the “obligation of prevention” under international law. Citing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Awan stressed that states have a responsibility to ensure their activities do not cause environmental damage to other nations.

A key point of Awan’s argument was the requirement of knowledge. He asserted that states cannot claim ignorance about the potential catastrophic effects of greenhouse gas emissions. “It would be no excuse for polluting states now to argue that they were ignorant that their release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere could potentially alter the climate system,” he told the court. Concluding his presentation, Awan urged the ICJ to provide an opinion that meets the planetary challenge of climate change, emphasizing the critical need for global cooperation and collective responsibility.