As rising seas threaten to redraw coastlines and erase nations, international law faces an existential test. The International Court of Justice’s 2025 Advisory Opinion on Climate Change marks a turning point—affirming that states’ maritime zones remain fixed despite sea-level rise, that sovereignty endures even when territory is lost, and that human rights obligations extend to those displaced by climate impacts.
This in-depth analysis explores how the ICJ’s opinion redefines key principles of the law of the sea, statehood, and refugee protection—offering Caribbean Small Island Developing States a powerful new legal foundation for climate justice.