Dear editor,

Initiated by young Pacific Islanders, the International Court of Justice unanimously affirmed in 2025 that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment forms part of international law. It made clear that States have legal obligations to protect the climate system and prevent harm from climate change.

The opinion was subsequently endorsed by 141 countries, including Australia, in a UN General Assembly resolution in May this year.

Yet since coming to power in 2022, the Australian Government has approved 37 new, expanded or extended coal, oil and gas developments, several since the ICJ decision.

As an Australian with six grandchildren, I fear for their future, as I know my Pacific neighbours fear for the future of their communities and cultures. I condemn the Australian government that says one thing while doing another — and regrettably, the opposition parties are even worse.

I sincerely hope Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Funafuti, Tuvalu, one of the countries most exposed to sea-level rise, will strengthen his resolve to phase out fossil fuels and endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In April, six Pacific countries — Tuvalu, Samoa, Fiji, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and Vanuatu — adopted the Tassiriki Call for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, calling for urgent negotiation of a global Fossil Fuel Treaty.

Australia cannot credibly claim climate leadership while pursuing policies that undermine its international obligations.

Ray Peck, Melbourne, Australia