Let's find out more about Vanuatu's declining reefs and the fight for climate justice

Anecdote: John Warmington, an experienced diver from Vanuatu’s Havannah Harbour, once navigated lively coral forests full of life. Currently, that reef is in decay—a cemetery of white staghorn and shattered plate corals, ravaged by hurricanes, starfish outbreaks, and a recent earthquake measuring 7.3 in magnitude. On land, climate change has affected every aspect of life: students learn beneath tents taken down for each storm, and farmers such as Kaltang Laban find it hard to replant cassava and taro in damaged soils. Vanuatu’s survival is threatened as more than 70% of its population depends on subsistence farming. Unwilling to remain a quiet victim, the island nation has brought more than 130 countries to the International Court of Justice, seeking legal responsibility from significant polluters. Although the ruling is not legally binding, it may transform international climate legislation. For Vanuatu, this situation is not about politics—it is an appeal for justice, for dignity, and for the right to live.