In a rare show of global unity, countries adopt landmark ruling (GRIST, May 22, 2026) LINK
About six years ago, law students at the University of the South Pacific convinced the government of the small island of Vanuatu to take the harms wrought by climate change all the way to the International Court of Justice., the world’s highest legal authority. Vanuatu , along with the students, waged a campaign to convince the court that climate change was a human rights issue, and that countries have a legal duty to protect the planet for future generations. In 2025, the court sided with them unanimously. In a legal, non-binding advisory opinion it ruled that the failure of countries to tackle climate change is a “Wrongful Act,” and that other nations harmed by a warming planet may seek reparations.
Now the effort has notched another win. On May 22, 2026 an overwhelming majority of United Nations’ countries voted to adopt a resolution backing the court’s ruling. More than 140 countries voted in favour of the resolution. Twenty-eight countries abstained and eight countries—including the U.S. Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Russia— voted against.
Historic breakthrough in Columbia Talks. Hopes Raised for Fossil Fuel phase-out (Guardian May 1, 2026) LINK
Nearly 60 countries (including Canada) led by Columbia and the Netherlands, reached an historic breakthrough in climate talks in Santa Marta, Columbia forming a coalition to bypass U.N. negotiation deadlocks. Unlike traditional UN climate summits, which require unanimous consensus among heavily conflicted petrostates, the coalition of the willing is taking independent, targeted action.
Key takeaways include:
- National roadmaps with commitments to drawing up specific, actionable plans to transition their economies away from fossil fuel production and use.
- Financial & trade focus: agreement to expose fossil fuel subsidies, work on financial reforms, and develop trade measures that discourage demand for fossil fuels.
- Inclusive dialogue: A heavy emphasis on Indigenous Peoples’ front-line communities and social movements to ensure a just transition.
- The global summit launches a panel of scientists that will advise these countries on how to shift to clean energy, putting scientists at the centre of the action.
The second phase of these talks will be hosted by Tuvalu and Ireland in 2027.
Did you know there is a Climate Fiction Prize?
The award recognizes “storytelling that engages with the realities of climate change.” The 2026 award was won by Helen Phillips for “Hum,” the story of a mother’s struggle to protect and nurture her small family in a broiling, future metropolis. The Climate Fiction Prize was launched in June 2024 at the Hay Festival in Wales (New Scientist: “The Book is in the Future”). LINK
Ten Compelling Poems about Climate Change (The Conversation, May 2026)
Explore these ten compelling, environmentally resonant poems that capture the urgency, grief, and beauty of our changing world. LINK
Check out American poet W.S. Merwin’s poem “Place” to find the grace of hope.
Place
On the last day of the world
I would want to plant a tree
what for
not the fruit
the tree that bears the fruit
is not the one that was planted
I want the tree that stands
in the earth for the first time
with the sun already
going down
and the water
touching its roots
in the earth full of the dead
and the clouds passing
one by one
over its leaves
—W.S. Merwin, from his book, The Rain in the Trees (Amazon link)
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