What is Owed?
A new film confronts climate injustice and the International Court of Justice’s historic advisory opinion
People on the frontlines of the climate crisis are frequently those who have contributed least to climate harms—including Indigenous groups, individuals living in small island nations, and communities across the Global South. In many places, the corrosive transnational forces of the climate crisis are exacerbated by unfettered fossil fuel emissions, military buildup, and the legacies and ongoing impacts of colonial expansion.
While climate scientists, legal scholars, and world leaders debate the extent of the climate crisis and how to mitigate it, coalitions of young people have been working together to take action on their own, refusing to let their homes disappear. Following years of advocacy, in March 2023, the United Nations adopted a resolution asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—the “World’s Court”—to rule on the obligations owed by top violators due to climate inaction. In December 2024, the Court received a record number of written submissions. On July 23, 2025, it released its advisory opinion—marking the first global interpretation of international legal obligations related to climate change, which will open up pathways for advocacy, litigation, and accountability.
The irony, however, is that while the advisory opinion only exists because of the advocacy efforts of young people—at the ICJ, only States were able to participate. This case, which is all about young people and future generations, largely formally proceeded without their voices. To help ensure that the perspectives of those most impacted by the climate crisis are front and center at the Court, What is Owed: Taking the Climate Crisis to the World's Court was presented at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and as an installation at the museum, and continues to resonate with and support other activist-led efforts and initiatives related to the case.
Developed with artist and experimental filmmaker Suneil Sanzgiri and SITU Research, the short film weaves together a wide range of visual evidence, from archival footage in the Pacific Islands to oceanic 3D renderings, remote sensing satellite imagery, testimonies from activists, and more. The video exposes the enduring colonial structures embedded within the ICJ and highlights the ongoing struggle for survival of Indigenous peoples across the Pacific Islands. This work was conceived by the GHRC and partners in close collaboration with youth groups and student campaigners from the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), and the World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ). It was originally presented at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich as part of the exhibition, Visual Investigations: Between Advocacy, Journalism and Law.