Earth Today | Pacific Islands NGO gets ‘policy leadership’ honour
Recognised for climate justice efforts
Published:Thursday | January 8, 2026 | 12:07 AM
AS CLIMATE change realities press in on vulnerable countries, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has celebrated leaders working on climate issues for their 2025 Champions of Earth Awards.
UNEP has, since 2005, recognised the contributions of entities and individuals who are making their mark in response to the challenges of climate change, nature loss and pollution.
Among the 2025 awardees is the youth-led non-governmental organisation, Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, which has been recognised for ‘policy leadership’. They secured a landmark opinion from the International Court of Justice “affirming states’ legal obligations to prevent climate harm and protect human rights”.
Climate change cases have been growing globally as individuals and entities pursue legal action for the resolution of disputes related to climate change.
“Climate litigation is a complex and diverse field that shapes and contests the global response to climate change. The field involves a multiplicity of actors, forums, legal strategies and outcomes,” notes the 2025 ‘Climate change in the courtroom: Trends, impacts and emerging lessons’ report.
“Significantly, climate litigation as a field is becoming a model for other climate-adjacent fields such as plastics and biodiversity litigation,” it added.
According to that report, the cumulative number of cases tracked up to June 30, 2025 was up to 3,099, filed in 55 jurisdictions and 24 internationals or regional courts, tribunals, quasi-judicial bodies or other adjudicatory bodies.
The Climate Change in the Courtroom report is a publication of the UNEP, done collaboratively with the Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School in the United States.
Other Champions of Earth for 2025 are:
• Mariam, Issoufou, founder and principal at Mariam Issoufou Architects for ‘entrepreneurial vision’;
• Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary with the Government of Tamil Nadu for ‘inspiration and action’ for work on sustainable cooling and ecosystem restoration; as well as
• the research institute, Imazon out of Brazil for ‘science and innovation’.
The late Manfredi Caltagirone has also been recognised for ‘lifetime achievement’.
“As the global impacts of the climate crisis intensify, innovation and leadership across every sector of society have never been more essential,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, in a December 10 media release on the subject.
“Young students demanding climate justice, subnational governments and architects leading on sustainable cooling and smart building design, research institutes slowing deforestation, and passionate individuals driving methane emissions reductions – this year’s Champions of the Earth show the kind of leadership that will inspire the world to face down the challenge of climate change,” she added.
Climate change is a clear and present danger to countries the world over, but especially Caribbean small island developing states like Jamaica, which was recently bludgeoned by the Category Five Hurricane Melissa. Extreme hurricane events have long been cautioned against by climate scientists who have made the case for comprehensive disaster risk management, from preparedness through to recovery, that prioritises attention to climate change, including considerations for mental health risks.
“This is something we are going to have to think about seriously. Climate change and health has grown on the global scene this year. But we typically think of climate change in terms of vector-borne disease and heat stress and so on,” Professor Michael Taylor, a celebrated local climate scientist, told The Gleaner after Hurricane Melissa.
“However, disaster plans are going to have to evolve completely. They are going to have to take into consideration the long lead-up times [and all the implications that flow from that, including mental health impacts] for these events. We will also need to think about how we communicate that and who does the communicating,” added Taylor, a physicist and dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at The University of the West Indies, Mona.