NEW YORK CITY — The U.N. General Assembly voted on Wednesday to endorse an International Court of Justice advisory opinion that found a failure by countries to protect the planet from climate change constitutes a violation of international law. The nonbinding resolution passed 141 in favor, eight against, with 28 abstentions, despite diplomatic efforts by the United States to have the measure withdrawn.

Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Yemen voted against the resolution. The 193-member assembly approved text calling on states to adopt national climate action plans to limit global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, to phase out subsidies for fossil fuel exploration, production and exploitation, and urging those in violation to provide full reparation for damage. Language that would have established an International Register of Damage to record evidence and claims was removed after nearly a dozen consultations to gain broader support.

"The resolution includes inappropriate political demands relating to fossil fuels and on other climate topics," Tammy Bruce, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the U.N., told the assembly before the vote. She said Washington had serious legal and policy concerns about the resolution despite changes to the draft. In February, the U.S. State Department issued guidance to all U.S. embassies and consulates stating it strongly objected to the proposal and that its adoption could pose a major threat to U.S. industry. The U.S. also sent a diplomatic cable urging U.N. member states to press Vanuatu to withdraw its draft.

Odo Tevi, the Vanuatu ambassador to the U.N., spoke in support of the measure before the vote. "We should be honest with one another about why this matters. It matters because the harm is real and it is already here, along our islands and coast lines, for communities facing drought and failed harvests," he said. "The states and peoples bearing the heaviest burden are very often those who contributed least to the problem," Tevi added.

In Tuvalu, where the average elevation is just two meters above sea level, more than a third of the population has applied for a climate migration visa to Australia, and much of the country is projected to be underwater at high tide by 2100. In Nauru, the government has begun selling passports to wealthy foreigners offering visa-free access to dozens of countries to generate revenue for possible relocation efforts.

"The world's highest court has spoken. Today, the General Assembly has answered. This is a powerful affirmation of international law, climate justice, science, and the responsibility of states to protect people from the escalating climate crisis," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement.

The International Court of Justice delivered its advisory opinion in July in response to a request by the General Assembly after a Vanuatu-led resolution was adopted by consensus in March 2023. The case was the largest ever considered by the court's 15 judges, who reviewed tens of thousands of pages of written submissions and heard two weeks of oral arguments before delivering their verdict.