Island states seek climate protection from Law of the Sea
By Valerie Volcovici and Riham Alkousaa
(Reuters) -The prime ministers of two small island nations that face ongoing impacts from rising sea levels appeared at legal hearings at an international court in Germany on Monday, and seek an advisory opinion on the obligations of countries to combat climate change.
Prime Ministers Kausea Natano of Tuvalu and Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda gave evidence at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (NYSE:SE), which will consider whether carbon emissions absorbed by the ocean should be considered marine pollution, and what obligations nations have to protect the marine environment.
In addition to the small island states, countries including Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and Australia will speak at hearing sessions scheduled until September 25.
The tribunal will then issue an advisory opinion, which is not legally binding, but offers an authoritative statement on legal matters that could guide countries as they craft climate protection law.
«Today is indeed a historic day… As we seek to get answers to a couple of questions to determine the obligations of states parties,» Antigua's Gaston Browne said at a news conference following the hour-long hearing.
The prime ministers, representing the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS), argued that countries have an obligation to protect the marine environment under the UN convention on the Law of the Sea, including from greenhouse gas emissions.
“We come here seeking urgent help, in the strong belief that international law is an essential mechanism for correcting the manifest injustice that our people are suffering as a result of climate change," said Tuvalu's Natano at the
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