Liam Moore

The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations | Harj Narulla Countries are now bound under international law to reduce emissions or pay damages to affected nations – a clear statement that the status quo is not sufficient Today, Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history. The International Court of Justice has handed down a landmark ruling in the most significant climate decision ever issued by a court. As a barrister representing Solomon Islands in the case, I was in the courtroom to hear the judges reshape the global fight for climate justice. Continue reading...

The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations | Harj Narulla

How the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change Addresses Displacement, International Protection and Ongoing Statehood - Researching Internal Displacement The International Court of Justice’s long-awaited Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change embeds important principles of international human rights law. It confirms ...

In this blog, I explain how the ICJ’s historic Advisory Opinion on Climate Change addresses displacement, international protection and ongoing statehood researchinginternaldisplacement.org/short_pieces...

The ICJ is a legendarily conservative legal body. Drawing on @drnajimagi.bsky.social 's live mega-thread last night hear are a few of the jaw-dropping moments for me in the Climate Change Advisory Opinion.

1. Licensing of new fossil fuel projects may be wrongful & expose states to int'l litigation

And if any country does not take climate change seriously, it does not take out adaptation and our survival seriously, then we have to question their relevance to us as a partner."

We don't see this geopolitical competition between China and the US as being relevant to our national needs. What we need is, we need security for our people from the greatest threat we have, which is climate change.

That’s been made clear by our Pacific leaders; so anyone who helps us to address climate issues, that takes their responsibility for emissions seriously, that tries to transition their economy, that helps us adapt; we will reach out to them as partners and that's basically it.

Regenvanu - "For countries in the Pacific, you know, the biggest threat to our security is climate change. It's not another country, it's not conventional military threats, it's climate change. "

Landmark ICJ ruling ‘removes a lot of excuses’ from world’s biggest emitters, says Vanuatu Climate Change Minister | CNN Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change speaks to Christiane Amanpour about the landmark climate ruling by the International Court of Justice.

As the dust settles from the ICJ AO last night, attention turns to how states will react.

@rregenvanu.bsky.social made it clear that while the AO might be legally non-binding, diplomatically it's a different case.To remain partners with the Pacific, states must step up on climate.

Justice Wigney, said it would parliament (or the High Court) to change things. Otherwise, he said the applicants and others only had recourse to advocacy, protest and the ballot box.

The irony, of course, being that governments ignore the first and are making the second illegal.

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If I can sum up what just happened as neatly as possible: a Federal Court judge found the Australian government had ignored climate science when setting emissions targets, appeared to want to find for the applicants, but said his hands were tied by the law of negligence in Australia.

/1

Very pleased to chair a Roundtable on the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Norms Research in International Relations at #OCIS2025.
@antjewiener.bsky.social @sassangholiagha.bsky.social

Fantastic roundtable discussions on The Oxford Handbook of Norms Research in International Relations (forthcoming) with @philorchard.bsky.social @carlawinston.bsky.social Jacqui True @liammoore.bsky.social #OCIS2025

We bear the brunt of the climate crisis. A Pacific Cop could help shape the global response | Surangel Whipps Jr Australia should also make moves to address the climate impact of its fossil fuel production and exports

The President of Pacific island nation #Palau speaks out for #Australia to be the host of the next UN climate conference in 2026, #COP31.

This yes to Australia is simultaneously a no to Turkey who also wanted to host COP31.

I found his arguments are convincing.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

What are climate (im)mobilities and how can policy and practice around them be better?

New typology of climate (im)mobility policy clusters is out now from myself and Henrietta McNeil!

academic.oup.com/migration/ar...

Disasters in the Modern Age What can we learn from other communities adapting to disasters, and how can we prepare for the next one?

I'll be speaking alongside Yetta Gurtner on Tuesday next week for Pint of Science.

$10 tickets, 6.30pm at Townsville Brewing Co.

If you are around Townsville come past!

pintofscience.com.au/event/disast...

As insurance gets harder to buy, NZ has 3 choices for disaster recovery – and we keep choosing the worst one

New research shows successive NZ governments keep opting for expensive short-term fixes after floods and other disasters. But there are two other choices available.

2025 Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) The 2024 Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) report presents the data and analysis behind the 75.9 million people living in internal displacement as of the end of 2023. It is the ninth editi...

New figures on internal displacement globally are out today from @idmc-geneva.bsky.social. Nearly 70% of global internal displacement in 2024 occurred in the context of disasters www.internal-displacement.org/global-repor...

The Oxford Handbook on Norm Research in International Relations, edited by @sassangholiagha.bsky.social, @antjewiener.bsky.social, and myself, now has a webpage (and a cover!) and will be out in November.

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

How anxieties about national security could shape the election outcome With Australian voters facing an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world, both Labor and the Coalition are trying to burnish their national security credentials.

How anxieties about national security could shape the election outcome: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-29/labor-liberal-pacific-policies-climate-change-china/105224594

Come and work with me! We’re hiring a new Laureate Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in international disaster law to join us at the Evacuations Research Hub @kaldorcentre.bsky.social - apply by 15 May external-careers.jobs.unsw.edu.au/cw/en/job/53...

With the US & UK retreating from foreign #aid, #Australia's new budget is more than numbers — it's a statement of intent. But what should Australia's role really be in the #Pacific?

A quick, smart read here: shorturl.at/XV9yi

@anubellschool.bsky.social

Responsibility and anxiety in the ‘Pacific family’: AUKUS as a source of ontological insecurity In 2021 Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced a trilateral defence partnership (AUKUS) that provided, among other things, Australia access to nuclear-powered submarines. Thi...

Great read here, another argument for why Australia needs to be doing more and doing better in the Pacific

Responsibility and anxiety in the ‘Pacific family’: AUKUS as a source of ontological insecurity From @vahamilla.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The Pacific Ocean of peace: a promise or a paradox? Using Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s articulation of the region as an ‘Ocean of Peace’ as an entry point, this article examines the competing visions of peace and sovereignty in the Pacifi...

Well worth a read. @mereoni.bsky.social and @romiteshkant.bsky.social paper on "The Pacific Ocean of peace: a promise or a paradox?" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Pacific leaders disappointed at global shipping emissions deal Pacific leaders and allies expressed their disappointment at an agreement to tackle shipping emissions during the International Maritime Organisation by refusing to support it.

Vocal pushback on the limited ambition in this deal from Pacific states.

www.rnz.co.nz/internationa...

'What Should Australian Aid in the Pacific Look Like after the Retreat of USAID?'

My thoughts on why Aus should be doing more to support Pacific communities to design and implement their own dev projects, particularly on climate mobilities
openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstreams/a...

Among the inanities of today's US tariff decisions: 10% tariffs on the Marshall Islands and on "Micronesia" (Federated States of, I presume). These countries have Compacts of Free Association with the US, meaning economic support, access to US programs, freedom of movement, and no duty on imports.

Insurance can't keep building 'like for like' after disasters, study finds Study calls for for state and federal leaders to help home owners future-proof their properties before they're lost entirely.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...

Risky Business: Bridging the Insurance Gap in Australia Australians facing steep insurance premium hikes in a world of disasters are sharing a global problem. The solutions are out there, but they are complex.

Australians facing steep insurance premium hikes in a world of disasters are sharing a global problem. The solutions are out there, but they are complex.

www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianou...