Our Vision

Global heating, sea level rise, more frequent and intense extreme weather events and biodiversity decline do not happen in a vacuum. Human consumption of resources have  been out of control for decades, and these unsustainable attitudes and behaviors regarding the environment have come at a dire cost. Desertification, air pollution, coastal erosion, coral bleaching, and loss of freshwater resources are just some of the climate crisis impacts that are now directly infringing on our basic human rights. 

The human rights of people living in communities on the frontline of the climate crisis are already being violated today. The rights to life, housing, food and health are infringed by climate change impacts every day. Vulnerable groups such as women, children, Indigenous populations, the elderly, people living in poverty, and other marginalized demographics are facing the brunt of this crisis. And yet, global society continues to implement sustainable solutions at no more than a glacial pace.

In 2011, the climate-vulnerable Pacific Island state of Palau attempted to take climate change to the International Court of Justice. They were seeking clarifications on the obligations of states to cut greenhouse gas emissions to avoid transboundary harm. Palau’s attempts were unsuccessful. A few years later, states from all over the world came together for the Paris Agreement, inviting states to voluntarily commit to emission reduction targets. But so far, states’ contributions have not been ambitious enough to reach the 1.5 degree-target agreed upon in Paris.

In 2019, 27 law students from The University of the South Pacific came together to form the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change. They have focussed on human rights and climate change. In the same year, the PISFCC’s proposal was tabled by the Vanuatu government at the Pacific Island Forum. There, the 18 member states of the PISFCC noted positively the proposal for a United Nations General Assembly resolution seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on climate change and human rights.

Although a crucial step in the right direction, in order for the resolution to be successful there must be a simple majority vote by the 193 member states of the UN. Recognizing this reality, the ICJAO campaign has grown beyond the Pacific where Pacific youth and partners are working tirelessly to galvanize support both regionally and internationally. Youth from around the world have united in this mission under the youth-led umbrella-organisation World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ). 

We the WYCJ do not accept the fate of an unjust, unequal and unsustainable future. The ICJAO campaign signals to the world a concrete and well-justified catalyser for more ambitious climate action. 

We believe that an Advisory Opinion on climate change from the ICJ will not just summarise states’ existing obligations with regards to human rights and climate change, but it can also deliver a progressive interpretation of those obligations and make global progress toward intergenerational equity and climate justice. 

Join us in our journey to take the world’s biggest problem to the World’s Highest Court.

#OurFutureOurRights