How a bunch of students beat big polluters in the world's highest court

Zero: The Climate Race

Bloomberg

Technology, Business, Science

4.7 • 219 Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2019, a group of law students from Pacific island nations set in motion a case that made it to the world’s highest court: The International Court of Justice. The students wanted answers to two important questions: what responsibility do countries have to stop climate change? And if countries don’t stop polluting, will they have to pay for the damages? Now the ICJ has delivered its verdict, and it seems like a huge win for the climate. But is it? Laura Clarke, chief executive officer of legal non-profit ClientEarth, joins Akshat Rathi on Zero to discuss.

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Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd. Special thanks to Eleanor Harrison Dengate, Siobhan Wagner, Sommer Saadi and Mohsis Andam. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Steve Strogatz.
0:01.5	And I'm Janelle Levin.
0:02.8	And this season on The Joy of Why from Quantum Magazine, we're sitting down together.
0:07.5	We have our own research areas, but we don't always get the chance to speak deeply about
0:11.3	science and math beyond our fields.
0:13.3	We'll ask researchers about moments big and small that inspire them and lead to incredible
0:18.1	discoveries.
0:19.3	Lots of science news outlets provide coverage on applied work like health and tech,
0:23.3	but we cover big questions in the study of life, reality, numbers, and information.
0:28.2	We hope these stories spark your curiosity, too.
0:31.0	Join us for the joy of why from Quantum Magazine.
0:34.7	Welcome to Zero. I am Akshatrati.
0:37.3	This week, a landmark court case.
1:01.9	Picture the scene. We are in the Peace Palace of the Hague, in a dark wood-paneled room.
1:13.6	There are 15 judges wearing black gowns and white cravards. The room is filled with people, all gathered to hear the result of a major climate case. The court meets today to deliver its advisory opinion on the request submitted by the General Assembly of the United Nations
1:21.6	on the question of the obligations of states in respect of climate change.
1:29.3	Among the audience is a group of law students from the Pacific Islands,
1:33.5	who six years earlier set in motion the case that has now made it to the world's highest court,
1:39.3	the International Court of Justice.
1:41.8	The students wanted answers to two important questions.
1:45.1	What responsibilities do countries have to stop climate change?
1:48.6	And if countries don't stop polluting, will they get in trouble?
	...

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