Major economies welcome 'milestone' ICJ climate ruling
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday declared that states were obliged under international law to tackle climate change, and failing to do so could leave them open to being sued.
The ICJ said climate change was an "urgent and existential threat" and countries had a legal duty to prevent harm from their planet-warming pollution.
Countries breaching their climate obligations were committing a "wrongful act", the court said in its advisory opinion, which is not legally binding but carries political and legal weight.
Campaigners and countries on the climate frontlines hailed the ruling as an important moment in the fight for accountability from big polluters most responsible for global warming.
The German foreign ministry on Thursday said the ICJ's opinion confirmed that "climate protection is the duty of all states". It described the ruling as an "important milestone".
The EU said the "important" decision "only confirms the immensity of the challenge we face and the importance of climate action and the Paris Agreement".
"It also reaffirms the need of taking collective and ambitious action," Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, told journalists.
China also welcomed the "positive" ruling.
"The advisory opinion reflects the long-term positions and propositions of the vast majority of developing countries, including China, and has positive significance for maintaining and promoting international climate cooperation," said foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.
The British foreign ministry said it would take time to examine the advisory opinion before commenting in detail.
"Tackling climate change is and will remain an urgent UK and global priority," the statement said.
"Our position remains that this is best achieved through international commitment to the UN's existing climate treaties and mechanisms."
The United States, which has embraced a fossil-fuel agenda under President Donald Trump, had on Wednesday given a muted response to the ruling.
A US State Department spokesperson said it "will be reviewing the Court's advisory opinion in the coming days and weeks".
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
What does Buddhist cult Guan Yin Citta have to do with the CCP?
A mysterious Buddhist group with ties to a banned religious movement in China is at the centre of Australia's first foreign interference charge against a Chinese national, with top Australian politicians now walking a diplomatic tightrope. Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday refused to reveal whether she raised the case of a Chinese woman charged with foreign interference by the Australian Federal Police with Beijing officials. The AFP alleges the woman, who is also an Australian permanent resident, was tasked by China's Public Security Bureau to covertly gather information about the Canberra branch of Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association. Ms Wong repeatedly ruled out saying whether she or any government minister had raised the case with Beijing officials. 'I think we all are very clear eyed about China and its interests, we've made that clear,' she told the Today show. 'And I'd make this point, we've never said that dialogue eliminates differences. Clearly it doesn't.' Ms Wong also declined to make comments on the case and insisted Australia had 'strong frameworks around foreign interference'. She did not explicitly say whether she trusted China, instead saying 'dialogue and engagement' formed part of diplomatic management with the nation. 'I trust China to do what China thinks is in its interest, and I trust Australia to do what's in our interests,' Ms Wong said. 'I think we all are very clear eyed about China and its interests. We've made that clear. 'The question is, how do we manage that? And dialogue and engagement is part of it. It doesn't eliminate differences, but it does enable us to put our views.' Guan Yin Citta (full name Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door) is a Buddhism affiliated religion founded by Lu Junhong. Mr Junhong was born in China before moving to Australia at a young age and founding Guan Yin Citta. He died in 2021. Bitter Winter reported that Guan Yin Citta was successful in Australia and became a 'global phenomenon, with hundreds of thousands of followers'. Bitter Winter also reported that Mr Junhong was critical of the CCP, and the Chinese government declared his religion 'xie jiao' meaning an outlawed (generally new) religious movement. Bitter Winter is a daily magazine focusing on religious issues and human rights in China. Its parent company is CESNUR, an NPO based out of Italy that opposes the anti-cult movement. A DFAT information report on the People's Republic of China published in December 2024 said the translation of the term xie jiao was debated, 'with scholars pointing to its historic translation as 'heterodox religion''. 'However it has negative connotations when used by the Government of China (akin to 'evil cult') and is unlikely to be used by adherents of new religions themselves. Restrictions against xie Jiao date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). 'The China Anti-xiejiao Association publishes an unofficial list of xie jiao, which includes 23 movements. 'There is an official list of xie jiao published by the government, which can change quickly, making it difficult to determine at any time whether a particular religious movement is banned.' Attempts by NewsWire to access the current official and unofficial lists of xie jiao to verify Guan Yin Citta's presence were unsuccessful. In Canberra on Saturday, multiple search warrants were executed by Strike Force Operation Autumn Shield after receiving information from ASIO. During the searches, items including electronic devices, were seized and police said they would undergo forensic examination. The women appeared in ACT Magistrates Court on Monday to face one count of reckless foreign interference, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment. Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt, of the AFP Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations, addressed the media on Monday afternoon, saying Australia was not immune to foreign interference. 'This is the first time the AFP has charged a person with foreign interference that allegedly involves targeting members of the Australian community,' he said. 'We should not expect that this arrest will prevent further attempts to target our diaspora communities. 'However, it is important to note that one of the best defences for foreign interference is increased community awareness to the threat and the reporting of suspicious activity to the authorities.' ASIO director general Mike Burgess said he was proud of the significant contribution ASIO had made. 'Foreign interference of the kind alleged is an appalling assault on Australian values, freedoms and sovereignty,' he said. 'In this year's annual threat assessment, I called out these types of activities and put perpetrators on notice by stating, 'we are watching, and we have zero tolerance'. 'Anyone who thinks it is acceptable to monitor, intimidate and potentially repatriate members of our diaspora communities should never underestimate our capabilities and resolve.'
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Chinese interference the new norm for Australia, expert warns
China will only continue ramping up secretive efforts to advance its domestic and international agenda in Australia this century despite the Albanese government's attempts to normalise relations, a leading national security expert says. The assessment comes a day after the Australian Federal Police charged a Chinese national with 'reckless foreign interference' in Canberra. The woman, a permanent resident of Australia, is accused of covertly collecting information about the Canberra branch of a Buddhist association called Guan Yin Citta on behalf of China's Public Security Bureau. The Guan Yin Citta association is banned in China. Chris Taylor of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) told NewsWire it reflects 'the reality of espionage and foreign interference directed against Australia'. 'It's an actual, real thing – it exists,' Mr Taylor said. Pointing to an espionage report released by Australia's domestic intelligence agency, he said there was 'a clear intensification of foreign intelligence interest in Australia'. 'Australia is paying a lot more attention to these issues than it may have in the past, not so much at the governmental level … but at a public level too,' Mr Taylor said. 'The messaging that's gone out from government about espionage, about foreign interference, over the last couple of years means that people in the community are more alive to it as a potential issue.' The other factor is 'the big picture, strategic changes that are occurring'. 'The fact that international politics, international power, is concentrating in the Indo-Pacific, concentrating in East Asia, means that it's no surprise that Australia's moved to the front lines of that contest in a way that we really weren't a couple of decades ago.' As for why Beijing would target a Buddhist group in the Australian capital, Mr Taylor said it was about keeping its diaspora in line abroad. This is not new for China. Analysts have long warned of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence suppressing free speech on university campuses, with students dobbing in fellow students who voice views that rub Beijing up the wrong way. 'For a lot of authoritarian regimes, they have an abiding interest in what they see as their nationals overseas, whether that's students, whether that's members of diaspora communities,' Mr Taylor said. 'So that kind of foreign intelligence activity ends up bounding that objective. 'It's actually not so much how we might imagine classical espionage directed towards the secrets of the Australian state. 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Dialogue enables us to manage difference but it doesn't eliminate it,' Senator Wong said. Echoing Australia's chief diplomat, Mr Taylor said it was just a reality that China would spy and meddle in Australia, no matter how 'incongruous' with what Beijing and Canberra say. 'We're being realistic that countries spy on each other, that China and Australia's interests security interests will differ,' he said. 'This is the 21st Century for Australia. 'It's dealing with these incongruities. 'It's dealing with living in a region that has become this increasingly contested space.' He added that 'we shouldn't be we should any less aggrieved, but we should be probably less surprised that people are engaged in espionage against us.'
SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- SBS Australia
New report says tackling climate change linked to economic prosperity
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . While economic cost is often considered a barrier to the transition to clean energy, a new report from the Productivity Commission suggests getting this transition right could boost Australia's economic growth. The report from the independent government advisory body, titled 'Investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation,' outlines a set of steps its authors say would get Australia back on the path to productivity growth by tackling climate change. Productivity Commissioner Barry Sterland says the report makes an important connection between two of Australia's most pressing issues, lagging productivity, and addressing the impacts of a changing climate. "Our productivity performance has been really bad. It is critical for income growth and intergenerational equity that we improve our productivity. Performance and climate change also has to be dealt with. It's a long-term issue. The government's made international commitments and Australia needs to meet those. And so what we're trying to do in this report is bring those two things together." It's the second of five reports due ahead of a federal government summit later this month [[19-21 Aug]] aimed at lifting productivity rates and boosting economic growth. The report's recommendations include actions to reduce the cost of meeting emissions targets, speeding up approvals processes for new energy infrastructure, and addressing barriers to private investment in the transition to clean energy. Mr Sterland says the report acknowledges that the transition to green energy infrastructure can and must happen faster and more efficiently. "The current system has for a long time, there's been a wide recognition that it doesn't really protect the environment particularly well, but it also takes too long for all sorts of projects to navigate and particularly energy infrastructure. The timelines have really blown out and got very long, and that's starting to challenge our ability to develop the clean energy we need to replace the existing aging infrastructure." He says building Australia's preparedness for future climate impacts by improving processes now is key to the country's future economic prosperity. "Climate impacts are coming and they're going to affect us no matter what responses happen. Now there's a certain amount of climate response coming into the system, and so we have to start acting early so that we are more resilient and the cost of those natural disasters doesn't keep going up so that we have a more resilient society so that we can still manage to have all the things we really want while addressing those climate impacts." Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie says the report recognises Australians are already feeling the wide-reaching economic impacts of climate change. "We are seeing right now the impact in South Australia of this massive algal bloom which has been driven by a massive marine heat wave, and that's affecting fisheries. It's affecting tourism and of course the community. We found that annual farm profits across Australia are 23 per cent lower since 2 000 due to climate change and one of the big worries in the community as of course the uninsurability of houses." She says the Commission suggests a key priority in tackling these rising economic impacts needs to be making Australian houses more climate resilient. "It says that if we are better prepared, we can cope with disasters more effectively. So it has a series of recommendations that we also endorse creating a central public database for all climate hazards so people have better access to understanding what they're actually exposed to. They also couple that with a recommendation around a star rating system for housing resilience so that homeowners can work out well, what do I need to do to make my house safer." Mr Sterland says building this resilience is one way to improve Australia's economic position, by lowering disaster recovery costs. "We've got to start making our society and our economy and our housing stock in particular, which is what we focus on in this report, more resilient to that change so that the human impacts of those disasters aren't as great the disaster spend that all the governments are having to respond in picking up the pieces and assisting communities pick up the pieces after those disasters. And so that is a challenge." Dani Alexander is the CEO of the Energy Institute at the University of New South Wales. She says with Australia's current energy infrastructure aging and in need of replacement, the Commission's report acknowledges an important opportunity to make the transition to clean energy benefit the economy. But she says finding the most efficient and cost-effective way to achieve this transition also requires innovation and research- and currently, Australia's investment in research and development lags behind other OECD countries. "We've got some of the best minds in energy innovation right here in Australia. But we need to activate our fantastic research and also technology development capabilities to get more from our energy projects, which is what productivity is all about. Unfortunately, we haven't seen this opportunity highlighted in the interim report or indeed even the latest update from the strategic examination of R and D (research and development." She says the Productivity roundtable later this month gives the Australian government a chance to invest in finding new solutions to tackle climate change and boost productivity. "I would really hope that the people around that table are looking very closely at our innovation opportunity I really feel like this is something that is not high enough on the priority list and if we are able to unlock the research but also novel technology solutions that we have at our fingertips that sit with an institutions ready to be unlocked Will actually be able to address a lot of the productivity challenges that have been highlighted in this report."
