The contribution of international law courts and tribunals to the development of the international climate regime

Recent requests for advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice, the Internationale Tribunal on the Law of the Sea and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights point to a paradigm shift: After some decades of law and policy making through Conferences of Parties, attention shifts to law courts in the quest for interpretation of those (soft) laws. What is to expect from those advisory opinions and what might be the consequences for international climate policy and negotiations? In which ways can those advisory opinions support the work of the climate regime? This panel will discuss with youth organisations, international lawyers and practitioners the implications for the future of the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement.