The top UN court will consider if the world’s largest carbon-emitting nations should pay reparations to smaller climate-vulnerable ones.

Officials from almost 100 countries are at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, asking the court to issue an opinion on the responsibility of certain nations to protect the planet from climate change.

A few UN member states responsible for the majority of emissions have breached international law, a special climate envoy from Vanuatu told the ICJ.

Vanuatu on Monday urged the top United Nations court to recognise the harm caused by climate change in its judgment on the legal obligation of countries to fight it and address the consequences of them contributing to global warming.

The top UN court will take up the largest case in its history on Monday. It opens two weeks of hearings into what countries are legally required to do to combat climate change.

Over the next two weeks, 98 countries and 12 organisations will testify in a major climate change case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ),

By Stephanie van den Berg THE HAGUE - The United Nations' top court on Monday starts hearings on the legal obligation of countries to fight climate change and the consequences for states of contributing to global warming,

Representatives for the island nation of Vanuatu called on the International Court of Justice this week to recognize the harm caused by climate change, the first remarks the United Nations court heard as it considers international obligations to address climate impacts.