Pacific Youth Voices Await the ICJ Climate Advisory Opinion
The Pacific Ocean stretches endlessly beneath tropical skies, yet for the members of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), the horizon carries more than salt spray and sunset - it holds the weight of six years of organising, testimony, and an unwavering fight for lands and seas. As the International Court of Justice prepares to deliver its Advisory Opinion on climate change, anticipation ripples across our island communities.
The Journey to The Hague
In 2019, the founding members of PISFCC dared to take this insurmountable task forward - a journey to seek justice from the climate harms our people continue to suffer. What began as a bold dream has evolved into something far more profound: a testament to the power of youth voices in reshaping international law.
Vice President Sepasitiano Patelisio captures the magnitude of this moment with quiet reverence: “[...] just knowing that the advisory opinion on climate change is on the horizon feels historic. For one of our countries, like mine, there holds so much hope, not just for legal clarity, but for climate justice. It's a sign that our voices matter, and the world is finally listening”.
The campaign transformed personal grief over eroding coastlines and dying reefs into a global legal challenge, vaulting frontline stories into the highest court of the United Nations. By occupying both grassroots spaces and the grand halls of The Hague, PISFCC foregrounded a truth too long ignored: climate inaction is failing human rights because the climate crisis is not a distant threat, it is a lived reality. From disappearing coastlines to dying reefs, from displaced families to lost communities, the impacts of climate change accelerate with each passing season, demanding not just attention but bold, systemic action.
Yet for too long, international responses have fallen frustratingly short - fragmented, delayed, and divorced from the lived experiences of those most affected. In this chasm between impact and action, young people stepped forward as architects of change. Secretary Camilla Noel reflects on this transformation with evident pride: "I feel proud knowing that our small island countries, together, stood on an international stage to protect our right to life. After many years of seeing our homes threatened by climate change, this advisory opinion gives us a sense of justice in being heard, and it will be our new legal weapon to continue our fight for climate justice".
A Tool for Justice
PISFCC expects the ICJ to deliver a clear and authoritative articulation of states' legal obligations to prevent, reduce, and remedy the harms of climate change - not just under climate treaties like the Paris Agreement, but also under customary international law, human rights law, and the law of the sea. Such a decision would fundamentally shift the landscape of climate accountability, affirming that major emitters' inaction constitutes not merely policy failure but a breach of international law.
For Finance and Administrative Officer Vineshini Ram, this moment represents something deeply personal yet universally significant: “As we await the delivery of the advisory opinion, I feel incredibly proud and hopeful. This is a historic moment led by Pacific youth, showing that our voices matter in shaping climate justice and protecting the rights of future generations”.
The Advisory Opinion promises to be more than legal text - it represents a chance to shift the balance of power from systems of oppression to systems of change. The climate crisis is fundamentally a matter of justice, not just carbon emissions. When the ICJ issues its advisory opinion, it won't merely be providing a legal answer but handing us a tool for justice - one we can use in parliaments, courtrooms, and negotiations to hold power accountable.
Voices of Hope and Determination
The weight of this moment resonates differently across the Pacific, yet common threads of hope, determination, and historical awareness weave through each reflection. Project Officer Lilieta Soakai contemplates the broader implications; “I feel extremely wary and excited thinking of what the advisory opinion could contain and how this could help strengthen our pursuit of climate justice and the protection of our communities and their homes. I think of all the case studies from the history of Oceania that have taught us the shape of climate injustice, and how the ruling that comes out in two weeks is the result of an articulation that we have had enough. It's also possibly the start of a new chapter where these sorts of injustices do not take place without greater pushback. And that's empowering”.
This sentiment echoes across island communities, where the Advisory Opinion represents decades of Pacific resistance and resilience. Focal Chair Belyndar Rikimani articulates the collective aspiration with compelling urgency; “This moment represents the voices of our youth, our elders, and our communities who have cried out for so long for accountability, equity, and global action. Let this decision spark more than dialogue. Let it move governments, institutions, and industries to act - to honour their obligations, to reduce emissions, to protect vulnerable populations, and to support adaptation with justice at the core”.
A New Chapter Begins
The ICJ's ruling will provide concrete legal guidance that can reinvigorate global climate efforts, strengthen calls for climate finance, support adaptation measures, protect human rights, and promote fairer global governance. It offers a foundation for building a better future - one not dependent solely on political will but backed by legal principle.
The ICJ opinion must not sit on a shelf - it must inform how the world negotiates emissions reductions, adapts to rising seas, and funds the loss and damage already being endured. If states are serious about upholding international law, then the Court's findings must become integral to climate diplomacy moving forward.
For the climate justice movement, the delivery of this opinion marks the beginning of a transformative new chapter. It provides a legal foundation to amplify advocacy and elevate frontline community demands in every multilateral forum. The ruling will serve as the compass the world needs to course correct, giving new strength to climate litigation, inspiring more ambitious national policies, and guiding states toward decisions that uphold their legal duties to protect both people and the planet.
For too long, climate justice has been treated as a moral appeal - now it will be backed by legal clarity. Whether celebrated in village halls or studied by legal scholars worldwide, the ICJ's Advisory Opinion will embody the unwavering spirit of Pacific youth who refused to remain silent in the face of existential threat.
PISFCC stands at The Hague and across the Pacific, hoping to remind the world that this ruling is not abstract - it is about our survival, our sovereignty, and our future. Whatever the ICJ delivers, PISFCC have achieved something remarkable; they have ensured that the Pacific did not stay silent. This is our legacy, and as we affirm with determination, we are just getting started.
