World’s Youth for Climate Justice welcomes historic advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court on the climate emergency and human rights
San José, Costa Rica – 3 July 2025
World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ), as one of the youth-led organisations that actively participated in both the written proceedings and public hearings, welcomes the publication of advisory opinion No. 32/25 by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), which for the first time directly and decisively addresses the climate emergency as a human rights issue.
“We are witnessing a historic moment. The Court has clearly recognised the differentiated obligations of States to protect children, youth and future generations in the face of the climate crisis,” said Mariana Campos, WYCJ Latin America Front Convenor and representative at the Court’s notification hearing.
At World’s Youth for Climate Justice, we especially welcome the Court’s recognition that the climate crisis disproportionately affects those least responsible for causing it, and that States are obligated to adopt specific measures to prevent, mitigate, and remedy its impacts – taking into account both current generations already suffering its effects and future generations who will endure its most severe consequences.
The Court also reaffirmed the principle of intergenerational equity as a legally enforceable standard. It stated that the obligations derived from the right to a healthy climate aim to protect the global climate system for the benefit of humankind as a whole, which includes both present and future generations. It affirmed that while human rights law recognises every person as a rights-holder, its ethical and normative foundation transcends the present, extending to humanity as a continuing moral and legal community.
Furthermore, the Court acknowledged that intergenerational equity is already embedded in the constitutional and legal frameworks of several American states, and it observed a growing trend toward recognising future generations as rights holders. In this context, the Court affirmed that States must actively work through environmental policies to ensure that today’s generations leave behind environmentally stable conditions that allow future generations similar opportunities for development.
“Our participation as young people was not symbolic – it was substantive. We brought legal arguments, testimonies, and scientific evidence that helped the Court understand why the climate crisis is also a crisis of intergenerational justice,” Campos added.
This advisory opinion sets a regional and global legal precedent. Beyond guiding the public policies of States parties to the American Convention and the Organisation of American States (OAS), it also contributes to a broader international process in which four international courts have been called upon to interpret States’ obligations in respect of climate change. In particular, this ruling may provide valuable input for the advisory opinion currently underway before the International Court of Justice, requested by the United Nations General Assembly.
Aditi Shetye, Lead of Strategic Litigation at WYCJ, stated:
“With this landmark advisory opinion, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has provided a comprehensive clarification of the multiple, interconnected legal obligations of States to protect human rights from the adverse impacts of the climate crisis. It affirms that States have a universal, overriding legal duty to prevent irreversible harm to the climate system and recognises the right to a healthy climate as both an individual and collective entitlement, and underscores the need to protect nature, its elements, and future generations. By affirming the IPCC as the best available science, and requiring that mitigation targets be binding, regulated, and implemented – based on science, common but differentiated responsibilities, historical emissions, and national circumstances – the Court has anchored climate obligations in legal, scientific, and equity-based reasoning. This human rights-centred perspective not only strengthens climate action across legal and policy domains, but also provides a significantly compelling and normative foundation for the forthcoming ICJ advisory opinion on climate change.”
We are committed to ensuring that this decision does not remain just words on paper. We will continue pushing for its implementation, helping to disseminate its findings, and supporting communities and youth who want to use this ruling as a tool to defend their rights.
Climate justice cannot wait – and today, the Court has reminded us that the law is on our side.
Note to Editors
About World’s Youth for Climate Justice
World's Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) is the global sister organisation of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, and as such, one of the movements calling for a strong advisory opinion on climate change and human rights from the International Court of Justice (the principal UN Court). World’s Youth for Climate Justice also directly participated in the advisory proceedings for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’s climate advisory opinion.
Media Contact
For general press inquiries: Quint van Velthoven, WYCJ, press@wy4cj.org
For interview requests: Mariana Campos, WYCJ, mariana@wy4cj.org
