One of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the fallout from climate change has won a landmark legal battle, giving countries new ammunition to pursue some of the planet’s biggest emitters.

The International Court of Justice ruled that nations have an obligation to act on climate change under international laws protecting the environment and human rights.

The United Nations’ top court has issued a landmark advisory opinion on climate change. The International Court of Justice’s 15 judges considered for the first time what the court’s president calls “a