Although the climate crisis is the result of a failure to prevent environmental harm, the principle of prevention has thus far remained discrete in domestic climate litigation. Similarly, in the context of international climate adjudication, reliance on the prevention principle could seem limited by two main obstacles: its anchor in bilateralism and its normative indeterminacy. This article argues that, on the contrary, the prevention principle could serve important functions in international climate adjudication. First, it shows that climate change falls within the reach of the prevention principle, which aims to protect the environment per se as a community interest. Then it explores two argumentative scenarios that are based on different constructions of the prevention principle, conceived either as a customary duty or as a general principle of international law. In both cases, recourse to the prevention principle can offer numerous advantages, which vary depending on the objectives strategically pursued.

中文翻译：

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对全球公域的损害正在审理中：预防原则在国际气候裁决中的作用

尽管气候危机是由于未能预防环境损害造成的，但迄今为止，预防原则在国内气候诉讼中仍然是离散的。同样，在国际气候裁决的背景下，对预防原则的依赖似乎受到两个主要障碍的限制：其根植于双边主义及其规范的不确定性。本文认为，相反，预防原则可以在国际气候裁决中发挥重要作用。首先，它表明气候变化属于预防原则的范围，预防原则旨在保护环境本身作为社区利益。然后，它探讨了基于预防原则的不同构造的两种论证场景，被视为一项习惯义务或国际法的一般原则。在这两种情况下，诉诸预防原则都可以提供许多优势，这些优势根据战略追求的目标而有所不同。