Ethiopia chose to abstain during a UN General Assembly vote on Wednesday that adopted a resolution reinforcing global commitments to combat climate change with a resounding 141 votes in favor and eight voting against. Ethiopia joined 27 other nations in abstaining from the vote.
The eight nations that voted against the resolution were the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Belarus, Liberia, and Yemen.
Major oil-producing nations mounted a late push to introduce last-minute amendments to weaken the final text, but the UN General Assembly actually rejected those amendments before the final vote.
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The General Assembly, driven by the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, previously asked the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on states’ responsibility to honor their climate commitments.
The opinion issued last summer exceeded the expectations of climate advocates, with the court ruling it was “unlawful” for countries to neglect their climate commitments, opening the door to “reparations” for affected countries.
