Islands in the Pacific asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday to rule on countries’ legal obligations to stop climate change.
With that move, the islands hope to increase pressure on polluting countries and “protect the rights of present and future generations from the adverse effects of climate change,” the islands’ leaders said in a statement.
In the statement, released last week after a summit in Suva, in the island nation of Fiji, leaders of the primarily low-lying islands said the region is in a climate emergency that poses an “existential” threat. The request needs the support of a majority of the United Nations General Assembly to be submitted to the Court of Justice in The Hague. The meeting will be held in September.
The initiative was born in 2019 in a classroom at the University of the South Pacific. About 27 law students wrote a letter asking political leaders to take on the campaign, and the Vanuatu archipelago answered the call. Fijian university student Vishal Prasad, one of the initiators, said at the summit that even a non-binding opinion from the International Court of Justice would have “far-reaching consequences.” He hopes the court will warn the polluters.
The smaller islands also look to larger countries in the region, such as Australia and New Zealand. Australia is one of the largest coal and gas exporters in the world. “We need to end our addiction to fossil fuels, including coal. That is our request to Australia, New Zealand, and all high-emission countries,” said Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. Australia has indicated that it supports the campaign.
