Jurisdiction of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Terms of Giving Advisory Opinions and Prospects of the Delivery thereof on Combating Climate Change

Abstract

On 25 September 2023, the landmark request for an advisory opinion addressing issues of State responsibility for the ongoing climate crisis took a new turn — oral hearings were concluded in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The article explores on what exactly rests the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, allowing it to issue the sought advisory opinion. The article outlines the main arguments, presented by the States parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which question the conclusiveness of ITLOS’s jurisdiction to some extent. The article reveals that despite a very debatable nature of the aforementioned advisory jurisdiction of the full Tribunal, it is highly probable that ITLOS will eventually formulate the sought opinion given that the subject matter of the case is quite resonant. The authors also argue on the potential influence the climaterelated advisory opinions of international judicial organs may have on the development of international law.