International law stays silent on the responsibility for climate change

Burden of proof: Heavy rains triggered a landslide that buried homes in the Camarillo Springs area of Ventura County, California, on Dec 12. When properties and lives are lost due to extreme weather events, who should pay for the losses? — AFP photos

Climate change affects everything from public health to migration patterns. So why has the legal response to a global problem been so weak?

Climate change hurts innocent people. It puts ordinary people, who for the most part have not contributed in any way to global warming, at extraordinary risk.