Maritime Tribunal Issues Ruling Holding Governments Responsible for Ocean Pollution
HAVANA TIMES – In environmental news, an international maritime tribunal issued a ruling that says greenhouse gases are pollutants that can cause irreversible harm to the marine environment and that governments must “adopt laws and regulations to prevent, reduce, and control” them. Though the ruling is nonbinding, small island nations on the frontlines of the climate crisis hailed it as a “groundbreaking victory,” and it’s likely to lead to more cases against the largest polluters. The decision affects 165 countries that ratified the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea — the United States is not one of them.