Vanuatu calls on Australia to back its UN bid to recognise climate change harm

Pacific islands urge new Labor government to support push for international court of justice to issue climate advisory opinion

• From Vanuatu law school to the Hague: the fight to recognise climate harm in international law

Australia's new Labor government has been called on to prove its commitment to climate action and support for Pacific countries by backing a campaign led by Vanuatu to see international law changed to recognise climate change harm.

In a letter to the prime minister sent by leading Pacific and Australian NGOs, shared exclusively with Guardian Australia, the groups urged Anthony Albanese to support Vanuatu's campaign for the international court of justice to issue an advisory opinion on the question of climate change.