In July 2025, The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a unanimous advisory opinion affirming that states have legal obligations under international law to prevent environmental harm and uphold human rights while reducing emissions to stay within 1.5°C of warming. For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), this was a remarkable victory. But what are the political and legal implications, and how can big polluters be held to account? In this episode, Emily and Matt interview six people involved in the process to an offer a thorough expert account of what the ICJ opinion really means for SIDS.

Featuring:

• Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global
• Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Odo Tevi | Permanent Representative of Vanuatu to the United Nations
• Shiv Shankar | Tuvalu Ambassador for Oceans and Climate Change, Special Envoy to The Commonwealth, and Permanent Representative to UNESCO and the UNFCC
• Bryce Rudyk | Director, International Environmental Law Program, New York University and Senior Legal Advisor to the AOSIS Chair
• Nadia Sánchez Castillo-Winckels | Founder and Director, Climate Legal Consulting
• Coral Pasisi | Director of Climate Change and Sustainability, Pacific Community
• Francesco Sindico | Professor International Law, University of Strathclyde, and Co-Director of C2LI

Resources:

• Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• ICJ Opinion | Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change
• Emily, Matt and Nadia’s op-ed | Why a chain of tiny Pacific islands wants an international court opinion on responsibility for the climate crisis
• Odo’s homepage | Ambassador Odo Tevi on LinkedIn
• Shiv’s homepage | Ambassador Shiv Shankar on LinkedIn
• Nadia’s homepage with links to readings | Nadia Sánchez Castillo-Winckels
• Bryce’s homepage with links to readings | Bryce Rudyk at NYU
• Coral’s homepage | Coral Pasisi at SPC
• Francesco’s Book | Research Handbook on Climate Change Litigation
• C2LI Website | Climate Change Legal Initiative

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We are witnessing a boom in new forms of financing that generate both profit for investors and a “social return” for communities. But what is “impact investing”, and why do we need more of it to protect our oceans and support small islands?

Matt and Emily – with RESI colleague, Gail Hurley – reflect on the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, June 2025. We ask whether socially responsible investment can unlock new money for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and share powerful stories of islands and investors revolutionizing ocean protection through innovative financing.

In Island Voices, Karuna Rana from Mauritius explains why local solutions are key to overcoming investment “ticket size.” In the Explainer, Gail unpacks what impact investing is and why it matters. In the Big Picture, Yabanex Batista (Global Fund for Coral Reefs), Melissa Walsh (Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance), and Hervé Lallement-Moe (Government of French Polynesia) discuss impact investing and the implications of UNOC3. Finally, in No Stupid Questions, Matt, Emily, and Gail ask how impact investing can support SIDS’ policy priorities.

Featuring:

• Emily Wilkinson | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global
• Matthew Bishop | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Gail Hurley | RESI Director and Development Finance Expert
• Karuna Rana | Director, Big Ocean States Initiative (BOSI)
• Yabanex Batista | Deputy Director, Global Fund for Coral Reefs, United Nations Capital Development Fund
• Melissa Walsh Director | Director, Blue Finance & Scaling, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)
• Hervé Lallemant-Moe | Digital Economy Directorate, Government of French Polynesia

Resources:

• Programme page (RESI)
• UNOC Declaration | Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action
• RESI work on ocean equity | Turning the tide: enhancing ocean equity for SIDS
• Karuna’s profile |Karuna Rana on LinkedIn
• BOSI website | Big Ocean States Initiative
• Yabanex’s profile | Yabanex Batista on LinkedIn
• Melissa’s profile | Dr Melissa Walsh at OORRAA
• Hervé’s profile | Hervé Lallement-Moe on LinkedIn

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Disasters are a constant part of life on islands - but outsiders often just see the stats: storm categories, earthquake scales, eruption sizes. Behind those numbers are real people forced to live through harrowing experiences. In this episode, Matt and Emily ask: how do survivors make sense of the shock - and how do their stories help communities rebuild what was lost?

In “Island Voices”, Darenthea Sweeney from Montserrat and Gregory Adams from the British Virgin Islands describe the lasting social effects of disasters. As a disaster management expert, Emily breaks it down for us in the 'Explainer'. Then, three academics – Adom Philogene Heron, Farah Nibbs and Gemma Sou – share how they work with communities affected by disasters to tell their own stories and push back against outside narratives. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions” Matt and Emily discuss whether anyone can ever truly prepare for a disaster on the scale faced by many small islands.

Featuring:

• Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI
• Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Darenthea Sweeney | Schoolteacher and Climate Justice Leader, Montserrat
• Gregory Adams | Chief Planner, Government of the Virgin Islands
• Adom Philogene Heron | Lecturer in Visual Anthropology, University of Bristol, UK
• Farah Nibbs | Assistant Professor, Emergency and Disaster Health Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, United States
• Gemma Sou | Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Monash University, Australia

Resources:

• Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• Emily’s documentary | Climate Blueprint: Dominica
• Adom’s university webpage | Dr Adom Philogene Heron
• Farah’s university webpage | Dr Farah Nibbs
• Adam and Farah’s project | Surviving Storms: Caribbean Cyclone Cartography
• Gemma’s university webpage | Dr Gemma Sou
• Gemma’s personal webpage | www.gemmasou.com
• RESI research on loss and damage | The price of a changing climate | Calculating loss and damage from extreme weather events | The costs of inaction | Barriers to addressing climate-related loss and damage

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