This Young Fijian Climate Activist Gave A Powerful Speech Calling On The ICJ To Ensure Climate Justice

On Friday, Dec. 13, the last day of the hearings on the International Court of Justice’s largest case in its history – linking climate change and human rights – the court heard a powerful speech from Vishal Prasad, a young climate activist from Fiji and the director of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, the group of students who brought the case to the court after a five-year campaign.

In his speech, Prasad urged the ICJ judges to act as wayfinders, like those in the Pacific, to direct the world towards a path that will protect homes, uphold human rights and preserve dignity.

He spoke about the journey of @pisfcc, a group of students who began the campaign to seek an advisory opinion from the ICJ in a classroom in Vanuatu due to a frustration with the COP processes to deliver urgent climate action.

“We have inherited a planet in decline and face the grim prospect of an even more degraded world to future generations,” he said.

Citing the experiences and stories of other young Pacific Islanders who are already facing the worst impacts of the climate crisis, Prasad said stopping greenhouse emissions and reparations are crucial to climate justice for young people.

“Five years ago, in a classroom in Emalus, Vanuatu, where this campaign began, young people dared to take on the impossible – taking climate change to the world’s highest court. Today, we have completed that task,” he said.

He added that the students had laid their stories, realities, injustices and loss before the court with the hope that the ICJ understands all that is at risk.

He concluded his speech by echoing the sentiment of Cynthia Houniuhi, another young climate activist from the Solomon Islands and the president of PISFCC, calling on the judges to ensure the protection of our collective future by applying international law to the conduct responsible for climate change.

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