The International Court of Justice will take responsibility for the climate crisis...the largest scale ever

[Anchor]
A trial has begun at the International Court of Justice, the highest court in the United Nations, to hold carbon-emitting countries liable for the climate crisis.

More than 100 countries and international organizations from around the world will attend and express their position, which is expected to be an important milestone in responding to the climate crisis.

I'm reporter Kim Do-won.

[Reporter]
The increasingly serious issue of the climate crisis has been brought to the International Court of Justice and the ICJ.

Last year, the UN General Assembly asked for the court's opinion on responding to the climate crisis.

Pacific island nations, whose countries are on the verge of disappearing due to rising sea levels, have appealed to major carbon emitters to be held accountable under international law.

[Arnold Killowman / Attorney General Vanuatu] It's a matter of survival for so many people, including our people. We believe in the court's style of defending the principles of international law.

There are two issues for the tribunal to judge.

It is what obligations each country has under international law to prevent the climate crisis, and what legal responsibilities countries that have caused significant environmental destruction have.

[Jalawi Turki al-Saud/Prince of Saudi Arabia: The treaty system itself is feared to collapse if obligations beyond or in conflict with those stipulated in the treaty on climate change are imposed]

The two-week public hearing is the largest ever, with 99 countries and 12 international organizations to attend.

Major carbon emitters and oil-producing countries, such as the United States and China, will be dispatched, and Korea will also attend and express its position.

Outside the tribunal, members of environmental groups staged a protest calling for a just decision.

The conclusion is expected to come out sometime next year, and although not binding, it could be cited as a legal basis for other climate crisis-related lawsuits.

I'm Kim Do Won of YTN.

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video: Jeon Ju-young