This episode of the Sustainable Law Podcast takes a deep dive into the impact of the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change on the legal landscape. Amanda Carpenter talked to Estelle Dehon KC, Cornerstone Barristers and Shane Gleghorn, UK Managing Partner at Taylor Wessing.

In July 2025, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark, unanimous Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change. The Court described climate change as an “urgent and existential threat” andaffirmed that all nations have binding legal duties to prevent climate harm, protect human rights, and address emissions — including those arising from fossil fuels.

Six months on, where do we stand? What specific due diligence obligations should businesses now be more aware of in light of the ruling? Has this opinion influenced corporate legal practice in concrete terms? Has it shaped decision-making for firms or their clients? If the 1.5°C target is increasingly seen as unachievable, how relevant does it remain as a legal and policy benchmark? And what is the role of lawyers in responding to this mandate — what should it be, and what could it become?

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