In July 2025, the International Court of Justice delivered a landmark advisory opinion on climate action. The ruling marked a shift in the global climate debate: climate action is no longer only a political commitment, but a legal obligation.

 

States have duties to act, shaped by their responsibility, capacity and the harm caused by greenhouse gas emissions. These duties include mitigation, adaptation, international cooperation, finance, technology transfer and support for countries most affected by climate impacts.

For Africa, this matters profoundly. The continent contributes less than four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it faces some of the most severe climate impacts. Here, climate change is not a future risk. It is already affecting food security, water systems, infrastructure, public health and livelihoods.

Recurrent droughts, rising temperatures and intense floods are no longer exceptional events. They are becoming structural pressures on development.

At the recent African-Led Climate Solutions Conference, policymakers, scientists, legal experts and development partners considered what the ICJ opinion means in practice for the continent.

Its significance is that it gives legal force to what African countries have long argued: climate action must be grounded in equity, responsibility and solidarity.

The opinion strengthens the case for predictable and accessible climate finance, technology transfer, and accountability where climate-related harm has occurred.

It also reframes climate change as more than an environmental crisis. It is a legal, economic, development and human rights issue.

Legal leverageLegal clarity alone will not deliver climate justice. Neither will science, finance or diplomacy in isolation. The real opportunity is to connect them.

Africa is already demonstrating what globally informed, locally led science-based climate action can look like.

Across the continent, actors are not waiting for a global consensus to act. They are restoring degraded landscapes, scaling agroforestry, investing in climate-smart agriculture and reimagining food systems. These actions are already delivering results.

CIFOR-ICRAF is supporting this momentum through initiatives such as the Knowledge for Great Green Wall Action (KAGGWA) project, which provides technical and scientific support to the African Union’s Great Green Wall initiative.

The programme aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon and create 10 million green jobs in rural areas by 2030.

Forests and trees absorb carbon, helping to mitigate climate change. Agroforestry systems – integrating trees into farms – Improve soil health, increase water retention, strengthen productivity and help farming systems withstand climate shocks.

In regions already facing climate volatility, these approaches are essential for both mitigation and adaptation.

Finance gapYet a major gap remains. Climate finance is still too limited, too fragmented, and too difficult for frontline communities to access. Current financing models often fail to match the scale, urgency and nature of locally led solutions.

The ICJ advisory opinion changes the terms of this conversation. Clarifying that states have legal obligations rather than optional commitments strengthens the basis for more predictable, equitable, and accessible climate finance, more responsive loss-and-damage arrangements, and stronger international cooperation.

It gives African countries a stronger basis to engage more effectively with partners on the global stage to secure sustained financing.

The task now is to turn this landmark opinion into action.

From law to actionAfrican governments can use the opinion to strengthen national climate strategies, align climate commitments with development priorities, and embed equity more clearly in policy and law.

It also means building stronger alliances across the continent and globally to ensure that the opinion informs negotiations, financing mechanisms and implementation pathways.

Science must sit at the centre of this effort. Effective climate action depends on evidence: what works, where, for whom and under what conditions.

Africa needs sustained investment in research, data systems, local scientific institutions and knowledge platforms that translate evidence into policy and practice. Science diplomacy will be critical, helping countries cooperate, build capacity and scale solutions rooted in African realities.

In responding to the request from the United Nations General Assembly, the ICJ has done its part in clarifying states’ obligations on climate action. The responsibility now lies in implementation.

For Africa, the path forward is not only to demand justice, but to define what climate justice looks like in practice: restored landscapes, resilient food systems, dignified green jobs, stronger institutions and communities with the resources to adapt and thrive.

The continent is not short of solutions. What is missing is recognition, investment and scale. Used well, the ruling can help move climate action from promises to obligations, and from obligations to real transformation.

Dr Éliane Ubalijoro is the CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)

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