‘A human face on an abstract problem’: ICJ forced to listen to climate victims

Marginalised communities have been elevated during hearings in The Hague on impact of climate crisis

The village of Veraibari in Papua New Guinea sits at the mouth of the Kikori River, just before it opens into the Pacific. Veraibari was so beautiful when I was a child," remembers Ara Kouwo, 52. I used to walk down to the beach passing under mango trees."

Kouwo's testimony was one of many included in written submissions to the international court of justice (ICJ) before hearings that began last week and continue until Friday in a landmark case in which the court has been asked to give an advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change".