Law students in Vanuatu take climate change to the World Court
In 2019, 27 law students at the University of the South Pacific began a campaign that led to the International Court of Justice's 2025 advisory opinion on climate change.
The small thing
After a law class in 2019, 27 students asked why international climate rules were so weak and decided to campaign for the world's highest court to be asked what states owe.
The problem
Pacific island nations contribute little to global emissions but face sea-level rise, stronger storms and other climate harms. Climate commitments under international agreements have largely been voluntary pledges.
Why Pacific started
According to Right Livelihood, the students began after a 2019 law lecture that left them questioning the weakness of international climate regimes. Founding member Vishal Prasad told Amnesty International that the students knew the cost of the climate crisis to their region well.
What they did
The students drafted a question on states' obligations to present and future generations and pressed Pacific governments to take it up. Vanuatu's government adopted the proposal, and in March 2023 the UN General Assembly asked the Court for an advisory opinion by consensus.
The group built a youth network and a civil society alliance, gathered testimony from communities in the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga, and in December 2024 members addressed the Court at its hearings in The Hague.
What changed
On 23 July 2025 the International Court of Justice unanimously delivered an advisory opinion stating that states have obligations under climate treaties, human rights law and customary international law to prevent climate harm, and that breaches can carry legal consequences (Right Livelihood; Amnesty; PINA). Advisory opinions are not legally binding but carry significant authority. In 2025 the group shared the Right Livelihood Award with Julian Aguon.
What they learned
Prasad has said the campaign began with no budget, office or recognition, and that the ruling only has force where people insist on it.
“For the first time, the law says states can't just promise. They are obliged,”Vishal Prasad, PISFCC director, as quoted by Right Livelihood
Copy this idea
Practical guidance written by our editors from the sources below. Adapt it to your place, and check local rules and safety first.
- Problem addressed
- Decision-makers not acting on a local environmental harm.
- What to do
- Use existing legal and democratic routes: research the rules, frame a clear question, and ask representatives to raise it formally.
- Materials and resources
- Access to legal information, a clear written brief, a way to gather community testimony.
- Approximate cost
- Low
- Skills
- Research, writing, advocacy; advice from qualified lawyers.
- Time
- Years.
- People needed
- A committed core group plus allies and partner organisations.
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Risks and limitations
- Legal processes are slow; seek proper legal advice and get informed consent before sharing people's stories.
- How to adapt it
- At local level, the same approach applies to petitions, planning objections or freedom of information requests.
- Lessons learned
- Start with a precise question; build broad alliances; a legal win needs follow-up to make a difference.
Why it matters
A court opinion does not cut emissions by itself, and its effect depends on governments and courts using it. But this case shows how a small group of students, working with their government, used international law to put the concerns of vulnerable communities before the world's highest court.
What didn't work
The campaign started with no funding or standing. The opinion is advisory rather than binding, and campaigners say turning it into action now depends on governments (PINA, 2026).
Editor's note
The International Court of Justice delivered its advisory opinion on 23 July 2025. In 2026 the group was working on implementation, noting the opinion is not self-executing.
Sources: how do we know?
Evidence level: Documented. Supported by reliable published sources such as UN agencies, award bodies and reputable journalism. Not yet independently re-verified by our editors. What the person says and what independent sources establish are attributed separately in the text.
- award body
Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change — Right Livelihood, 2025Supports: 2019 founding by 27 law students after a lecture; activities; UNGA resolution March 2023; ICJ opinion 23 July 2025; 2025 award; Prasad quote. - reputable journalism
'For us, almost everything is at stake': how students from the Pacific took the fight against climate change to the world's top court — Amnesty International, May 2026Supports: 27 USP law students in Vanuatu; December 2024 hearings; opinion's findings; Prasad on the region's stakes. - reputable journalism
From a classroom in Vanuatu to the world's highest court: how Pacific students changed international law in six years — Sanjeshni Kumar, Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), 24 July 2026Supports: Unanimous opinion 23 July 2025; no budget at start; ruling not self-executing; current status.