Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change

➡️ PACIFIC ISLAND STUDENTS FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE & JULIAN AGUON - Right Livelihood Award 2025

"For carrying the call for climate justice to the world's highest court, turning survival into a matter of rights and climate action into a legal responsibility."

In 2019, a group of law students from the University of the South Pacific came up with the idea to approach the UN General Assembly to request an ➡️ advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legal obligations of countries under international law to address the climate crisis.

This bold step by small island nations sought to address the pressing issues of climate justice, debt, mitigation, and adaptation. These nations are the ones who will feel the effects of climate change most severely and are also the ones who contributed the least to it. They won the support of Vanuatu, which spearheaded the initiative and won the backing of many other nations around the world.

On July 23, 2025, the ICJ issued its advisory opinion, which was unanimously adopted by all 15 judges who, for the first time, officially categorised the climate crisis as an "urgent and existential threat" and emphasised that "cooperation is not a matter of choice for states but a pressing need and a legal obligation."

It has helped to highlight the vulnerability of small island nations and proved how collective action and legal accountability are essential tools on the journey to justice and sustainable development. This legal opinion provides judges worldwide with clear guidance on climate litigation and will shape climate jurisprudence for decades.

The ICJ opinion can now be used to demand more ambitious climate protection measures from governments and parliaments, to ensure compliance with the Paris Agreement, and to implement national and international climate laws.

Julian Aguon is a Chamoru human rights lawyer and writer from Guam. He played a central role in the proceedings, and his firm, Blue Ocean Law, provided the legal strategy that carried their demand into the courtroom.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 21.10.25 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

For further reading on PISFCC & Julian Aguon see below ⬇️