Vishal Prasad at COP30

Pacific climate advocates say the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion is changing the course of negotiations at COP30 in Brazil.

They stress the ruling makes it clear that failing to act on climate change is no longer just a moral lapse, it is now a legal responsibility.

Fiji’s delegation says the ICJ opinion provides a framework that countries can no longer ignore.

Director of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, Vishal Prasad, says the advisory opinion has shifted the conversation at COP30 from whether nations should act, to whether they will meet their legal obligations to protect vulnerable countries.

“The court has already answered that states have obligations. The real question now is whether they will honour them or openly choose to ignore them,”

He adds that the ruling sets a clear benchmark for negotiations on finance, ambition, and the global stocktake.

“If countries knowingly pursue pathways that overshoot 1.5, they are breaching their duty to prevent serious harm and protect present and future generations,”

Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Climate Change, Dr. Sivendra Michael, says while the ICJ opinion is not legally binding, it provides a blueprint for cooperation, particularly on finance for Small Island Developing States.

“We need to reiterate the duty to cooperate… developed countries are required to make necessary finance available for developing nations, especially SIDS and LDCs,”

Advocates say the ICJ ruling now sits at the heart of COP30’s mandate, urging nations to stop undermining the process and instead use the opinion to drive concrete commitments, including a fast and fair phase-out of fossil fuels.

“This story was produced as part of the 2025 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.”

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