In a landmark moment for global climate justice, human rights lawyer Julian Aguon is being honoured with the prestigious Right Livelihood award for his pivotal role in securing a groundbreaking ruling from the world's highest court.
From Pacific Call to International Victory
The journey began six years ago when Aguon, a Chamorro lawyer based in Guam, received an unexpected call from Vanuatu's foreign affairs minister Ralph Regenvanu. The minister presented an ambitious challenge: help develop a legal case on behalf of dozens of law students seeking climate justice from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Aguon immediately recognised the case's potential to address legal ambiguities that had "long hobbled the international community's ability to respond effectively to the climate crisis." His firm, Blue Ocean Law, which he founded in 2014 with a core belief in Indigenous solutions to global problems, took on the monumental task.
Over several years, Aguon and his team gathered powerful testimonies from across the Pacific region. They documented heartbreaking stories from communities in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and other island nations where climate change was already inflicting severe damage. In many cases, people broke with cultural protocol to share sacred knowledge about their environment and culture, hoping their stories might secure a better future.
The Historic ICJ Ruling and Its Implications
In 2025, Aguon argued the case before the ICJ in The Hague, and months later, the court issued its landmark ruling. The decision established that nations have a clear legal obligation to prevent climate harm, marking what Aguon describes as "a new era of climate accountability."
The ruling requires countries to "finally and decisively address the climate crisis" and has already begun influencing global climate policy discussions, including preparations for the upcoming COP30 climate talks.
On 2 December, Aguon and the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) will receive the Right Livelihood award, often called the "alternative Nobel." The award, established in 1980 after the Nobel foundation rejected proposals for new environment and development prizes, has previously honoured figures including Edward Snowden, Wangari Maathai and Greta Thunberg.
Building a New Legal Order for Future Generations
Vishal Prasad, director of PISFCC, says the award recognises the determination of unified Pacific Islanders working to save their homeland. He emphasises that the recognition belongs to "everyone in the region" who contributed to this extraordinary effort.
Aguon believes the ICJ ruling will catalyse a wave of rights-based climate litigation, potentially leading to reparations claims and compensation for ecosystem restoration. His vision extends beyond immediate legal victories toward what he calls "a new legal order rooted in respect, reciprocity, and responsibility to future generations."
Regenvanu, the Vanuatu minister who initially approached Aguon, explained they specifically chose Blue Ocean Law because the firm could "represent what this means legally but also culturally" – recognising the deep cultural dimensions of climate justice.
Looking ahead, the Guam-based firm is developing legal challenges to deep sea mining in the Pacific based on Indigenous guardianship principles. Aguon describes this approach as defending the ocean as "kin rather than commodity" to protect marine ecosystems and ensure cultural survival. The firm is also examining ways to combat contamination of land and water to protect access to medicinal plants needed for cultural practices.
For the 43-year-old lawyer, this work represents practical protection of Indigenous rights. "It behooves us to try to find every possible way to protect them and their ability to thrive in their ancestral spaces," Aguon adds, highlighting the urgent need for concrete action alongside legal theory.
