Climate Justice Wins: PISFCC & Aguon Receive the Right Livelihood Prize
On October 1, 2025, the Right Livelihood Foundation announced a landmark award that spotlights climate justice at the highest level of recognition. Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) and human rights activist Julian Aguon from Oceania were named recipients of the Right Livelihood Prize for their relentless advocacy to compel governments to act against climate change. The prize underscores a growing view that protecting the planet is inseparable from protecting human rights.
Who are the laureates?
PISFCC is a network of Pacific Island students and communities campaigning for urgent climate action in a region on the front lines of rising seas, intensified storms, and shifting weather patterns. Their work has bridged youth leadership with legal and policy advocacy, aiming to safeguard island livelihoods and cultures that climate change threatens to erode.
Julian Aguon, a lawyer and activist based in Guam, has long argued that climate protection is also a matter of human rights. His work emphasizes accountability under international law, insisting that states have a duty to prevent climate harms, respond to damages, and ensure that vulnerable communities are not left to bear the brunt of environmental upheaval.
The ICJ advisory and its implications
Central to the prize is the landmark ICJ (International Court of Justice) advisory opinion that framed climate change as both a global existential risk and a human rights issue. The opinion holds that states are völkerrechtlich (obligated under international law) to take active steps to limit warming and to provide redress for climate-related harms. By elevating this legal interpretation, the ICJ opinion strengthens arguments for accountability and encourages a broader coalition of actors—including students, civil society, and lawyers—to pursue climate justice through international mechanisms.
The laureates’ work illustrates how legal accountability can be paired with grassroots organizing. The foundation notes that this combination offers hope: when communities mobilize, and when legal instruments are leveraged, a more just and livable future becomes possible for those most affected by climate shifts.
Why this matters for climate justice
The Right Livelihood Prize, often described as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” celebrates practical solutions to urgent social, environmental, and human rights challenges. By honoring PISFCC and Aguon, the prize signals that climate justice is not a niche concern but a universal imperative. It highlights the role of youth leadership and Indigenous and Oceanic perspectives in shaping meaningful global responses. The recognition may spur similar legal actions, encourage states to strengthen climate policies, and foster international solidarity among communities facing climate impacts—from sea-level rise to extreme weather.
In the broader news landscape this week
While the climate justice winners take the spotlight, other headlines remind us that policy, rights, and safety intersect across regions. In Europe, debates about public health and consumer protections continue, while in North America, legislative and regulatory developments keep lawmakers— and citizens—engaged in urgent decision‑making. In every corner of the world, activists, journalists, and policymakers grapple with how to translate ideals of justice, safety, and sustainability into concrete change on the ground.
As the conversation around climate justice evolves, the prize winners’ message of hope and collective action offers a roadmap: communities empowered with knowledge, backed by legal frameworks, can push governments toward the ambitious, yet necessary, path of climate accountability.
