CRUX in the Hague to witness the historic decision by the International Court of Justice on climate change

Working on a massive new production that features the most incredible youth-led climate movements from across the world, we went to The Hague to film history being made. There, we had the honor of following around Jule Schnakenberg, the executive director of World's Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ).

On the 23rd of July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its first-ever Advisory Opinion on the obligations of states in relation to climate change. The opinion provides a formal guideline as for what international law and human rights conventions require for states to do to stop the detrimental effects of climate change AND what happens if they fall short.

The opinion was requested by the United Nations General Assembly to clarify existing legal frameworks, as pushed for by (young) activists from across the world. This six-years long process was started by young people from small island states in the Pacific, and particularly law students from the University of the South Pacific. Now, it has become a global movement!

The contents of the Advisory Opinion are a great victory for everyone on this planet. It emphasizes the grave responsibilities (including in the legal sense) of states and particularly the big polluters to lessen emissions, end fossil fuels and compensate for the harms caused. Nevertheless, as of now, the opinion is just words on a paper, and due to its unprecedented nature, no one knows how big of an impact it will have on climate action moving forward.

Thus, it is time for us to leverage the opinion as one more tool for applying pressure and achieving real change.