Climate Change & Impacts
What is climate change?
Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns caused mainly by human activities.
What convention defines the legal requirements of a state?
Montevideo Convention
What does “in absentia” mean?
In the absence of
What is the capital of Tuvalu?
Funafuti
What does the no-harm principle say?
States must not cause significant harm to other states.
What is sea level rise?
The physical increase in the ocean’s volume.
Name ONE requirement of statehood.
Permanent population / Defined territory / Government / Capacity for relations
What key right allows people to govern themselves?
Self-determination
How high is Tuvalu’s highest point above sea level?
About 5 meters
What major climate agreement sets the 1.5°C goal?
Paris Agreement
What is inundation?
Permanent flooding of land that was once dry.
Which requirement is disappearing due to climate change?
Defined territory
What is an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?
Ocean area where a country has rights to resources like fish and minerals.
What is Tuvalu’s main legal claim against Australia?
That its emissions contribute to climate harm, destroying Tuvalu.
What does “due diligence” require from states?
Taking reasonable steps to prevent harm.
What is salinization?
Saltwater entering groundwater and soil, making it unusable.
What does “capacity for relations” mean?
Ability to interact and form relations with other states.
Why are climate migrants not legally protected?
There is no legal category for them under current international law.
What principle is Tuvalu using to sue?
The no-harm principle
What does Article 52 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties say?
Treaties are invalid if agreed under coercion.
Name two major impacts of sea-level rise on human health and food systems.
disease spread (cholera/dengue), malnutrition, and kidney disease from toxic water.
Why is climate change creating a legal crisis for statehood?
Because international law has no rule for whether a state can exist without territory.
Under the 1951 Refugee Convention, why aren’t climate migrants considered refugees?
Because the definition only includes people fleeing persecution or war, not climate change.
Why is this case historically significant?
First ICJ case linking fossil fuel exports directly to a state’s survival.
Give ONE argument from Australia AND ONE from Tuvalu.