Episode 37: The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Obligations: Remarkable, Radical and Robust

Episode 37: The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Obligations: Remarkable, Radical and Robust

Author: European Journal of International Law July 30, 2025 Duration: 51:11

There were gasps in the courtroom when the ICJ delivered its advisory opinion on the obligations of States in respect of climate change on 23 July 2025. In this episode, Margaret Young (Melbourne Law School), Phoebe Okowa (Queen Mary University of London, member of the International Law Commission) and Lavanya Rajamani (Oxford) explore how, with its robust and at times radical reasoning, the Court has delivered a truly significant moment for international law.

Scholarship referred to in the episode includes Phoebe N. Okowa, State Responsibility for Transboundary Air Pollution in International Law (2000); Lavanya Rajamani, ‘Interpreting the Paris Agreement in its Normative Environment’ (2024) 77 Current Legal Problems 167; Margaret A. Young, ‘Climate Change and Law: A Global Challenge for Legal Education’ (2021) 40 University of Queensland Law Journal 351; and Margaret A. Young, ‘Fragmentation’ in Lavanya Rajamani and Jacqueline Peel (eds), Oxford Handbook of International Environmental Law (2021) 85.


Dive into the complex and ever-evolving world of global legal frameworks with EJIL: The Podcast! Brought to you by the European Journal of International Law, this series transforms intricate legal concepts into engaging and accessible conversations. Each episode features the journal's own editors, along with contributors from its dynamic blog, EJIL: Talk!, who bring their deep expertise directly to the microphone. Rather than dry academic lectures, you'll hear thoughtful, nuanced discussions that connect the dots between international law and the pressing events shaping both global and domestic landscapes. From diplomatic tensions and human rights to trade disputes and environmental agreements, the podcast examines how legal principles are tested and applied in real time. Produced with the European Journal of International Law and supported by staff at the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, the production ensures a consistently high-quality exploration of ideas. Whether you're a legal professional, a student, or simply a curious mind trying to understand the rules that govern state interactions, this podcast offers a vital and clarifying perspective. It’s a direct line to the thinkers who are dissecting today's most challenging issues, making the often-opaque mechanics of international affairs comprehensible and relevant to our daily lives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 44

EJIL: The Podcast!
Podcast Episodes
Episode 13: Loot! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:29
In this second instalment of the 'Reckonings with Europe: Pasts and Present' series, Evelien Campfens, Chika Okeke-Agulu and Dan Hicks reflect on calls for return of cultural artefacts looted under European empire. How d…
Episode 12: No Licence to Kill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:13
In this episode Dapo Akande, Marko Milanovic and Philippa Webb discuss the legal issues that arise from targeted killings conducted by states outside their territory. They begin with a discussion of the recent blockbuste…
Episode 11: The Limelight on ESIL! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:32
In this episode of the podcast, Joseph Weiler is joined by Helene Ruiz-Fabri, Photini Pazartzis and Marko Milanovic, to discuss the EJIL’s sister institution, the European Society of International Law (ESIL) – its founda…
Episode 10: Whatever happened to International Law & Democracy? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:18
Whatever happened to International Law & Democracy? Accompanying the Symposium on that question in EJIL issue 32(1), this podcast contains a duel between anti-anti-international-law& democracy scholar Akbar Rasulov and a…
Episode 9: Reviewing Book Reviewing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:46
Which author of a legal monograph has not had that frustrating feeling -- Why is my book not getting reviewed (and his or her book is...!)? And yet, in one of the many exquisite paradoxes of academic life, all Book Revie…
Episode 8: After the Fall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:26
In this new series, 'Reckonings with Europe: Pasts and Present', Surabhi Ranganathan and Megan Donaldson host conversations about enduring legacies of empire, capitalism, and racism in international law and the legal aca…
Episode 6: Trumping International Law? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:02
This episode examines the effects of the four years of the Trump Administration on international law. Dapo Akande is joined by Joseph Weiler, Neha Jain and Chimene Keitner. In their conversation, they explore the impact…
Episode 5: Breaking Bad - in a Specific and Limited Way [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:36
In this episode Dapo Akande, Marko Milanovic, Sarah Nouwen and Philippa Webb analyse the Internal Market Bill currently pending before the UK Parliament, which the UK government’s own legal officers admit breaches intern…
Episode 4: Court between a Rock and a Hard Place [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:11
The International Criminal Court has for a long time been criticised for exclusively focusing on Africa, as opposed to investigating situations in which powerful western states are heavily involved or have strong interes…