In July 2025, The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a unanimous advisory opinion affirming that states have legal obligations under international law to prevent environmental harm and uphold human rights while reducing emissions to stay within 1.5°C of warming. For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), this was a remarkable victory. But what are the political and legal implications, and how can big polluters be held to account? In this episode, Emily and Matt interview six people involved in the process to an offer a thorough expert account of what the ICJ opinion really means for SIDS.

Featuring:

• Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global
• Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Odo Tevi | Permanent Representative of Vanuatu to the United Nations
• Shiv Shankar | Tuvalu Ambassador for Oceans and Climate Change, Special Envoy to The Commonwealth, and Permanent Representative to UNESCO and the UNFCC
• Bryce Rudyk | Director, International Environmental Law Program, New York University and Senior Legal Advisor to the AOSIS Chair
• Nadia Sánchez Castillo-Winckels | Founder and Director, Climate Legal Consulting
• Coral Pasisi | Director of Climate Change and Sustainability, Pacific Community
• Francesco Sindico | Professor International Law, University of Strathclyde, and Co-Director of C2LI

Resources:

• Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• ICJ Opinion | Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change
• Emily, Matt and Nadia’s op-ed | Why a chain of tiny Pacific islands wants an international court opinion on responsibility for the climate crisis
• Odo’s homepage | Ambassador Odo Tevi on LinkedIn
• Shiv’s homepage | Ambassador Shiv Shankar on LinkedIn
• Nadia’s homepage with links to readings | Nadia Sánchez Castillo-Winckels
• Bryce’s homepage with links to readings | Bryce Rudyk at NYU
• Coral’s homepage | Coral Pasisi at SPC
• Francesco’s Book | Research Handbook on Climate Change Litigation
• C2LI Website | Climate Change Legal Initiative

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