Australia has voted in favour of a landmark United Nations resolution spearheaded by its Pacific island neighbours to strengthen state responsibility to act on climate change.
The 193-member global body endorsed an advisory opinion provided by the world's top court on Wednesday, which notably warns a failure to curb fossil fuel production might constitute an "internationally wrongful act".
The hard-fought legal opinion from the International Court of Justice delivered in July 2025 was first conceived by a group of Pacific students and initially taken up by Vanuatu.
The climate-vulnerable island nation, supported by its Pacific allies, was also the first to sponsor the UN General Assembly resolution that passed with 141 votes in favour, eight against and 28 abstentions.
"This must be a turning point in accountability for damaging the climate," said Vishal Prasad, one of the students who instigated the ICJ advisory opinion.
