“Ships do not sail outside international law. Climate obligations apply at sea too”, says Anais Rios, Senior Shipping Policy Officer at Seas At Risk.
The adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution following the landmark International Climate Justice Advisory Opinion on climate change marks another significant moment in the evolving relationship between climate science, international law and global governance. This resolution, drawn up in Vanuatu, a Pacific island facing the brunt of the climate crises, backs up a world court opinion that countries have to legally address climate change. It states that countries are obliged by law to reduce fossil fuel use and tackle global warming.
Although the final resolution was weakened during negotiations, its adoption reinforces a growing international recognition that States’ climate obligations extend across the wider corpus of international law, including the law of the sea, environmental law and human rights law. For international shipping, the implications are increasingly difficult to ignore.
Over the past year, Seas At Risk[1] in collaboration with Global Choices and Opportunity Green submitted papers to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) examining the implications of both the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Advisory Opinion and the ICJ Advisory Opinion for the shipping sector and for ongoing negotiations on the IMO Net-Zero Framework. Together, these legal developments reinforce a rapidly emerging principle: greenhouse gas emissions are not simply an economic by-product of global trade. They contribute to marine pollution, environmental degradation and climate harm, triggering obligations on States to prevent, reduce and control those emissions.
“The ocean is already absorbing the cost of climate delay. From the Arctic to Small Island States, communities are living the consequences in real time,” said Rios.
The submissions also emphasised that climate action is not solely a matter of voluntary political ambition. States have duties grounded in international law, including obligations to cooperate, prevent environmental harm, align action with the best available science and support vulnerable countries facing disproportionate climate impacts.
“International courts are increasingly making one thing clear: States cannot separate climate obligations from any sector or institution, including shipping,” said Vedika Mandapati, Policy Analyst & Outreach Officer at Global Choices.
As IMO Member States continue discussions on implementation of the IMO Net-Zero Framework, questions of ambition, equity and alignment with the 1.5°C temperature goal are increasingly becoming questions of legal credibility as well.
Read the submissions:
[1] Seas At Risk is a member of the Clean Shipping Coalition
Posted on: 22 May 2026
