Introduction

In July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion stating that countries must protect the environment under international law. To accomplish this, governments need climate data. Space technology provides this data and helps countries follow their climate duties.

July 2025 ICJ Climate Change Advisory Opinion and New Technology

On July 23, 2025, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion on the role of states in the fight against climate change. The ICJ is the main judicial body of the UN. This Court decided that states have a duty under international law to protect the environment. Further, it posited that harming the environment violates international law. This means that a state can face legal consequences for failing to follow its environmental protection duties.

The Court considered various points to make the decision. It looked at the data collected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body for assessing climate change. The Court also looked at treaties, like the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). These treaties were used because they are the laws that form the fight against climate change.

The advisory opinion is a victory for climate activists. This decision makes clear that countries need to take action to prevent climate change. Yet, there are still challenges ahead. Advisory opinions are not binding. Instead, they are meant to be a guide for future policy.

Space technology can help monitor whether countries follow climate policy. According to the Paris Agreement, countries must create Nationally Determined Contributions. These are climate action plans that outline how countries will meet their climate targets. Space technology collects real-time information and helps hold governments accountable for these plans. For example, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the HydroGNSS mission on November 28, 2025. It measures water-related climate data. This helps to track droughts, floods, and water cycle changes.

Space technology also shows where climate action is falling short. In November 2025, the ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-5A returned its first images. Its satellites measured the gases that cause climate change. It found high levels of nitrogen dioxide over cities in the Middle East. Nitrogen dioxide is a major air pollutant that comes from traffic, power plants, cooking, and heating. These images show that some countries may need stronger climate policies to meet the Court’s advisory opinion. In December 2025, the GHGSat satellite constellation created the first-ever global map of yearly methane emissions. The satellite found that Turkmenistan, Russia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and the US had the largest oil and gas methane emissions. While GHGSat is a private Canadian company, countries can use this new technology to understand whether they are following the Court’s advice.

Sentinel-6B and Global Cooperation

Sentinel-6B is an Earth observation satellite that was launched on November 16, 2025. It is jointly owned by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the ESA. Sentinel-6B is one of three satellites that are part of the Sentinel-6 program. This program is focused on ocean measurements. This can be used by scientists to predict major climate events like hurricanes. Sentinel-6A was launched in 2020, while Sentinel-6C is planned to be launched in 2030.

Countries must work together on space technology to mitigate climate change. The Sentinel mission shows global cooperation in using space technology for the fight against climate change. However, recent developments may hinder the Sentinel missions’ success. This is due to NASA’s 2026 proposed budget cuts. This would cancel dozens of missions. It could also cause thousands of employees to lose their jobs. This may affect the shared program between the United States and the ESA. If these cuts go forward, global efforts to track climate change may be slowed. This could harm countries’ abilities to meet their climate goals. Thus, further cooperation between many countries and their space technology is vital for future success.

Conclusion

The world needs to become more resilient to the effects of climate change. Through space technology, countries can better track climate impacts and meet their international duties. With the advisory opinion, COPUOS can double down on its effort to use space technology for sustainable environmental practices.

Bibliography

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