Articles

Fundamental Change of Circumstances under Article 62 VCLT: Climate Change, Sea-Level Rise, and the Limits of Treaty Stability

    Authors

  • Agit Yogi Subandi Faculty of Law, Universitas Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia
  • Isroni Muhammad Miraj Mirza Faculty of Law, Universitas Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia
  • Sona Asnawi Faculty of Law, Universitas Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia
Published 23-09-2026
Section Articles

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Introduction to the Problem:
Climate change and sea-level rise increasingly challenge the stability of international treaty obligations by altering the factual circumstances upon which treaties are based. This raises legal questions concerning the applicability of Article 62 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), which regulates fundamental change of circumstances as a limited exception to pacta sunt servanda.

Purpose/Study Objectives:
This article examines whether climate change and sea-level rise may satisfy the legal threshold of fundamental change of circumstances under Article 62 VCLT.

Novelty:
The novelty of this study lies in its analysis of climate change and sea-level rise as contemporary challenges to treaty stability by assessing the elements of unforeseeability, essential basis of consent, and radical transformation of treaty obligations.

Methodology:
This research uses a normative legal method with a juridical-dogmatic approach, relying on Article 62 VCLT, international jurisprudence, doctrinal commentaries, and contemporary legal materials on climate change and sea-level rise.

Results/Findings:
The study finds that climate change and sea-level rise may reinforce the contemporary relevance of Article 62 VCLT, but do not automatically satisfy its requirements. Article 62 should therefore be understood as a narrow mechanism for exceptional treaty adaptation, not as a general basis for avoiding treaty obligations.

    Keywords

  • international law
  • fundamental change of circumstance
  • treaty termination
  • vienna convention 1969

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Issue Vol. 11 No. 1 (2026): Jurnal Bina Mulia Hukum Volume 11 Number 1 September 2026

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