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186 F.SimlingerandB.Mayer
laware constitutedby thegeneral practice of states accepted as law (Statute of the
InternationalCourtofJustice,art.38(1)(b)).Atreatyisinsteadanagreementthrough
which twoor several states voluntarily commit to complywith certain obligations.
Whenastatefails torespect its internationalobligations, includingobligationsstem-
ming from customary international law and treaty law, this state has a secondary
obligation to cease thewrongful act andperform its international obligation and to
make adequate reparation to any state injured (ILCArticles on Responsibility of
States for InternationallyWrongfulActs, arts. 29–31).
Section7.4.1examineswhetherexcessivegreenhousegasemissionscouldconsti-
tuteabreachofanormofcustomaryinternational law—theno-harmprinciple—and
consequentlyentailsanobligationtomakereparationfortheinjurycausedtotheter-
ritoryofotherstates.Section7.4.2turnstothetreaty-basedinternationalclimatelaw
regime.Thus,weelude, for thesakeofbrevity, anydiscussionofother treaty-based
regimes, such as the provisions on pollution of themarine environment contained
in theUNConventionon theLawof theSeasor theworkof the InternationalLaw
Commissionon theprotectionof theatmosphere.
7.4.1 TheObligationofStatesNot toCauseSerious
EnvironmentalHarm
Thecontemporary international legal systemisbasedontheprinciple that statesare
equal sovereigns. States could not be equal sovereigns if it was permitted for one
state to interferewith the internal affairs of another state in anymanner thatwould
seriouslyaffect the latter.Likewise, stateswouldnotbegenuinelyequal sovereigns
if one statewas permitted to render the territory of another state uninhabitable or
otherwise to significantly affect the conditions under which that territory can be
used, for instance throughcausingseriousenvironmentalharmsacross international
borders (seeOrderof13December2013 in the joinedproceedingsConstructionof
aRoad inCostaRicaalong theSanJuanRiver (Nicaraguav.CostaRica);Certain
ActivitiesCarriedOutbyNicaragua in theBorderArea (CostaRicav.Nicaragua),
ProvisionalMeasures ICJRep2013,398).
Theno-harmprinciple,asacorollaryoftheprincipleofequalsovereignty,wasfirst
recognised in the1941arbitral award in theTrailSmelter case.Thiscaseconcerned
a dispute betweenCanada and theUnited States over air pollution arising from a
smelter inCanada,whichwasbrought bydominantwinds towards theUSState of
Washington, causing serious environmental damages. In an oft-cited passage, the
tribunaldeclared that:
under theprinciplesof international law[…]nostatehas the right touseorpermit theuse
of its territory in suchamanner as tocause injuryby fumes inor to the territoryof another
or thepropertiesofpersons therein,whenthecase isofseriousconsequencesandthe injury
is establishedbyclear andconvincingevidence (Trail SmelterArbitration: 1905).
Loss and Damage from Climate Change
Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Title
- Loss and Damage from Climate Change
- Subtitle
- Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Authors
- Reinhard Mechler
- Laurens M. Bouwer
- Thomas Schinko
- Swenja Surminski
- JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer
- Publisher
- Springer Open
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-319-72026-5
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 580
- Keywords
- Environment, Climate change, Environmental law, Environmental policy, Risk management
- Categories
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Umwelt und Klima