<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/united-nations" rel="" target="" title="United Nations"><span>United Nations</span></a><span>' top </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="court"><span>court</span></a><span> says if countries fail to take measures to protect the planet from </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/climate-change" rel="" target="" title="climate change"><span>climate change</span></a><span>, they could be in violation of international law.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The International Court of Justice is delivering an advisory opinion in a landmark case about nations' obligations to tackle climate change and consequences they may face if they don't, calling it an "urgent and existential" threat to humanity.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Failure of a state to take appropriate action to protect the climate system ... may constitute an internationally wrongful act," court President Yuji Iwasawa said during Wednesday's (late Wednesday and early Thursday AEST) hearing.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-trio-jailed-after-making-away-with-320k-in-pub-robbery/e06f3a93-7908-4a5e-9669-51c2652900d6"><strong><span>Pub worker looks terrified - but all is not as it seems</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>More to come.</span></em><span></span></div></div>