Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Pacific Islands students target U.N. court as key weapon to fight climate change

Pacific Islands students target U.N. court as key weapon to fight climate change

In the shadow of the United Nations' towering headquarters in New York City, law student Solomon Yeo from an island nation in the South Pacific is taking in what he describes as a “surreal moment.”

Less than three years ago, he was chatting with fellow law students at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu about how they might someday help transform how the world tackles climate change.

Now, as world leaders descend upon New York for the UN General Assembly, Yeo and his fellow Pacific Islands students stand at the brink of ensuring that the world's biggest and smallest countries know their obligation to deal with climate change. To do that, they are closing in on their goal of successfully petitioning the world's highest court - the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The idea emerged as a law school conversation - what if they could persuade the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion on climate change? Such a thing had been tried before, by Palau’s government in 2012. But Yeo, who comes from the Solomon Islands, and the other students decided that a second effort could succeed if supported by leaders across the climate-vulnerable South Pacific.

And so, the students wrote letters - to island nation officials, legal scholars and environmental advocates - asking for support for their campaign. Now in New York, with dozens of his student colleagues, Yeo is giddy with the possibility of success.

“We never thought that it will ever reach this stage of the campaign,” he told Reuters. “It is truly an amazement to be here.”

An advisory opinion from the ICJ would not be legally binding in any jurisdiction, but it could clarify the international law around what responsibilities governments have to their citizens and other countries in relation to climate change. It could even define climate change as a human rights issue, similar to religious freedom or the right of education.

On Saturday, amid the bustle of midtown Manhattan, young Pacific Islands climate activists will launch a week of publicity promoting their effort, starting with a flotilla of boats lining up along the East River carrying placard-holding climate justice activists up to the United Nations, organizers said.

The activities will end with the government of Vanuatu and allies asking for the issue be put to a vote at U.N. General Assembly.

A successful vote, Yeo said, could result in the assembly referring the request to the ICJ in The Hague as soon as December.

It will be up to Vanuatu and supporting countries to decide exactly how to phrase the request, and what legal question it will ask the court to advise on. But Vanuatu's ambassador to the U.N., Odo Tevi, told Reuters the island nation was likely to focus on states' obligations to climate-vulnerable countries and to future generations.

"In the last five years, we have had two Category 5 cyclones, which wiped out almost 60% of our economy. So we think we also have the moral force to take up this cause," Tevi said.

With climate change accelerating the rise of sea levels, many low-lying island states and coastal communities face increasing risk from storms and flooding in coming years.

Spokesperson Bianca Beddoe of the 39-member Alliance of Small Island States, of which Vanuatu is a member, said the campaign "is a bold, important proposition ... and it will be important for consideration by all countries and the General Assembly.”

LEGAL AND MORAL AUTHORITY


Despite having no binding force, the ICJ's advisory opinions can still carry legal weight and moral authority, experts say. They are used often in diplomacy and in clarifying the law on complex international matters.

Such an opinion is increasingly needed, said ClientEarth lawyer Sam Hunter-Jones, as climate-related litigation ramps up worldwide. As of May, there were more than 2,000 climate-related court cases in play globally - more than double the number filed in 2015, according to the London School of Economics.

An opinion from the court could also bolster a key demand by poor nations for a special U.N. "Loss and Damage" fund to compensate damages already being suffered in climate-related disasters, such as lands being lost to sea level rise or destruction caused by supercharged storms. Or it could “spur international litigation between states, or against states regarding compensation,” Hunter-Jones said.

The students hope their campaign can also inject new life into global climate negotiations that often feel intractable, with wealthy nations resisting ambitious emissions-cutting pledges while also failing to deliver financing to help developing countries through the energy transition, said Fijian law student Vishal Prasad.

They plan to keep up the pressure leading up to the next U.N. climate summit - COP27 - to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November.

“Pacific Islanders, young people and all climate-vulnerable countries have so much to lose because of climate change,” Prasad said. And the world is “not moving as fast as we need to be” to prevent the worst of it.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×