Image used is Grand Hall de Justice de Palais by Lybil BER. Used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
In June 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that states do have a legal obligation to both limit their contributions to climate change, and provide restitution for any harm caused. The advisory opinion, which could prove to be a major development in the wider world of climate litigation, was the result of an appeal from a group of law students from the University of the South Pacific’s campus in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Having organised themselves into Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), their efforts stemmed from a 2019 tutorial they had participated in.
Along the way, they were assisted by Johanna Gusman; a senior attorney with the Center for International Environmental Law, and Dr Justin Sobion; a member of the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Law, and counsel to several countries who backed the PISFCC’s appeal to the ICJ. Dr Maria Armoudian speaks to them both to find out more.
