Climate-Induced Force Majeure in International Sale of Goods Contracts: A Comparative Analysis under the CISG, UNIDROIT Principles, and Indonesian Contract Law

Climate-related disruption has increasingly become a legal and commercial risk for international sale of goods contracts. Extreme weather, floods, drought, wildfires, port closures, infrastructure damage, and transport disruptions may directly affect the ability of sellers or buyers from performing their contractual obligations. The legal difficulty, however, is not whether climate change can disturb contractual performance, but whether a particular climate-induced event satisfies the requirements of force majeure under the applicable framework. This article analyse the issues based on United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, and Indonesian contract law. Using normative legal research and a comparative legal approach, it examine the rules on exemption from liability, force majeure, hardship, good faith, party autonomy, and contractual risk allocation which supported by international and national case. The analysis shows that Article 79 of the CISG offers a strict exemption requirements, but mainly protects the non-performing party from damages. The UNIDROIT Principles provide a clearer distinction between force majeure and hardship, which is useful where climate-related events make performance difficult but not impossible. Indonesian contract law recognizes force majeure through overmacht under Article 1244 and 1245 of the Civil Code, but its application depends heavily on proof of causation, absence of fault, good faith, and the wording of the contract. This article argues that climate-induced force majeure should be assessed through the specific event, affected obligation, and the allocation of risk between the parties. A combined approach balances the legal certainty, fairness, and commercial practicality, especially when parties expressly regulate climate-related risks in their contracts.

climate-induced force majeure, international sale of goods, CISG

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