On February 18, ELP, in partnership with the Pacific Islander Legal Association, hosted “Pacific Island Resiliency to Climate Change,” the first installment in a semester-long series focusing on emerging climate justice and resiliency issues.

Moderated by Naima Fifita ‘23, the event featured three well-known climate justice advocates as panelists: Professor Payam Akhavan, Counsel to the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law; Solomon Yeo, co-founder and campaign director of the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC); and Bernard Kato Ewekia, director of Saving Tuvalu.

Professor Akhavan began the event by recounting the establishment of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law at the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland last November. The Commission is seeking an advisory opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on climate change, sea-level rise, protection of the marine environment, and international responsibilities.

“This is truly a historic agreement because it brings together small island states to engage in legal action against the major polluters,” he said.

Professor Akhavan went on to describe the Commission as part of an “epic David and Goliath contest” in a global “fight for survival” against the backdrop of climate change. “It’s remarkable that small islands are fighting on behalf of humanity,” he said. “What’s happening to them today will happen to the rest of the world tomorrow.”

The PISFCC, similarly, is seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice to  develop new international law integrating legal obligations around environmental treaties and basic human rights. Yeo discussed the significant strides the youth-based organization has made at the international level since its inception in 2019.

“We managed to get into the Pacific Island Forum but we don’t want to see it end there,” he said, referring to the influential regional body. “We want to see it go to the UN General Assembly, then the Court, then an opinion that can be utilized all around the world to initiate climate action.”

In late October 2021, Ewekia traveled across the globe in his own quest to initiate climate action as one of twenty-four COP26 delegates from Tuvalu. His trip to the climate summit – which included three days in transit to Glasgow and over a month to return home – captured international media attention and gave him a platform to highlight his experiences from the frontlines of the climate crisis. During his portion of the panel, Ewekia detailed the motivating factors behind his long journey.

“I went to the COP to find solidarity and partners to work with so our voice can be heard,” he said. “I went there so we can work together with the whole world because we all live on the same planet, and the climate crisis and natural disasters don’t have limits.”

ELP Director David M. Forman ’93 expressed his hope that “more Richardson students will follow in the footsteps of Naima, ELP Research Associate Joe Udell ‘22, as well as previous ELP students who have taken advantage of opportunities to participate in international environmental law events around the globe.” Forman added that “networking opportunities in these venues allow us to connect peers and experts around the globe with those who were unable to participate in person, in addition to spreading our own important messages to new audiences.”

The next installment of the Climate Justice and Resiliency Series, a collaboration between ELP and the John A. Burns School of Medicine, will focus on climate change and public health policy. That event will take place on Friday, March 4 at noon, via Zoom. Register online here.

JU 2/24/22