Climate Reparations at the World’s Highest Court 

By UUSC Staff on June 26, 2025

Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) brought the world’s biggest problem to the world’s highest court. The outcome could have a huge impact on frontline communities. PISFCC, a UUSC partner, began a campaign in 2019 to get the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an opinion on climate change and human rights. The organizers succeeded, and in December 2024, the court held oral hearings. PISFCC and fellow frontline organizations held a simultaneous people’s assembly to document testimony from activists directly impacted by the climate crisis.  

The ICJ will issue their advisory opinion this summer. This ruling could have a significant impact by providing legal guidance that polluters should pay climate reparations. Powerful states and corporations have continued to profit from their exploitation of the environment. Countries contributing the least to the climate crisis are bearing the brunt of the impacts. The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion could insist that these entities compensate the communities they’ve damaged. Frontline nations could use reparations to invest in cleaner, fairer, and more sustainable economies.  

For the very first time, the world’s highest court will define international accountability in the context of the climate crisis. With this ruling, the ICJ could clarify states’ legal duty to protect people and the planet. As PISFCC states, “This is more than law: it’s a fight for survival, dignity, and the future of our planet.”  

Show your solidarity by sharing the following graphics from PISFCC with the hashtags #ClimateJusticeAtTheICJ and #ClimateICJAO. Use your digital presence to let the International Court of Justice know that the world is watching.