{"id":416492,"date":"2025-12-07T17:49:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T16:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=416492"},"modified":"2025-12-07T17:49:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T16:49:20","slug":"claim-rejecting-emissions-targets-undermines-the-international-rules-based-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=416492","title":{"rendered":"Claim: Rejecting Emissions Targets Undermines the International Rules Based Order"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Aerial<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, New Zealand\u2019s climate defiance could bring down the Jenga Tower of international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

NZ\u2019s rejection of emission targets fuels risk of international law breach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published: December 5, 2025 10.19am AEDT
Karen Scott<\/a>
Professor in Law, University of Canterbury<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Zealand government\u2019s decision this week to reject<\/a> all of the Climate Change Commission\u2019s emission target recommendations was just the latest in a string of policy statements that weaken the country\u2019s action on climate.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does a failure to comply with those obligations undermine New Zealand\u2019s commitment to the international rules-based order? Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More generally, however, New Zealand risks undermining the international rules-based order it relies on by framing those obligations as being merely about making \u201cbest efforts\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules-based order is like a game of Jenga<\/a>. The rules, including obligations to address climate change, are the building blocks. While some states are overtly taking a wrecking ball to the tower, others are undermining it by ignoring those rules, essentially removing individual blocks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But small states need that tower to remain intact. Supporting the international rules-based order by complying with its climate obligations would allow New Zealand to show leadership when it is most needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/nzs-rejection-of-emission-targets-fuels-risk-of-international-law-breach-271295<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m surprised New Zealand is defying anything climate related.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a climate change denier at the moment or even a minimalist, I just don\u2019t understand how you can hold that position to be honest.\u201d<\/em> \u2013 Current New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps things have changed since 2023. New Zealand is currently suffering a catastrophic brain drain<\/a>, as young and ambitious New Zealanders desert a homeland which is struggling to offer hope to its young people. Maybe a dose of green economic collapse is finally bringing New Zealand\u2019s out of touch establishment to its senses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Apparently, New Zealand\u2019s climate defiance could bring down the Jenga Tower of international law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":416495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"Discover how New Zealand's rejection of climate emission targets threatens international law and its leadership role in global climate action.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"New Zealand's Emission Target Rejection Threatens International Law","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvY2xpbWF0ZS1zY2llbmNlLnByZXNzXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI1XC8xMlwvMEFRUDZzUEFISXE1bDdIY1psdF9BZk16QTlnWmlPS2hHbExwR3BROEp3UlRtQlRfNnVkYlNZN1JSVUVqcWdPa2dVbnBka294dk9jcFk2amJ1Tk0xU1RJQnhVcEl3TzJKZlBTSlV2MktkRTBZRmNpcFh0UGdjemEyZjFZT3Z0dDAtMS0xMDI0eDUzNy5qcGVnIiwidHh0IjoiQ2xhaW06IFJlamVjdGluZyBFbWlzc2lvbnMgVGFyZ2V0cyBVbmRlcm1pbmVzIHRoZSBJbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsIFJ1bGVzIEJhc2VkIE9yZGVyIiwidGVtcGxhdGUiOiJoaWdod2F5IiwiZm9udCI6IiIsImJsb2dfaWQiOjE1NTgxMjQ0OX0.MNzLBCwsN9dhzWmM5hc3Mi1vTtu6lysCjuY1GaV_WVgMQ"},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818056,691840044,691829604,691840045,691840043,691831721,691818351],"class_list":{"0":"post-416492","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-climate-change-commission","10":"tag-climate-lawsuits","11":"tag-emission-target","12":"tag-green-economic-collapse","13":"tag-international-court-of-justice","14":"tag-new-zealand","16":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0AQP6sPAHIq5l7HcZlt_AfMzA9gZiOKhGlLpGpQ8JwRTmBT_6udbSY7RRUEjqgOkgUnpdkoxvOcpY6jbuNM1STIBxUpIwO2JfPSJUv2KdE0YFcipXtPgcza2f1YOvtt0-1.jpeg?fit=1768%2C928&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1KlC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":327548,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=327548","url_meta":{"origin":416492,"position":0},"title":"NZ 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