PORT VILA, Vanuatu (AP) — A decade ago, when John Warmington first explored the reef near his home in Havannah Harbor, Vanuatu, it was teeming with life. Corals stretched upward like an underwater forest, with branching staghorns in golden hues, sprawling plate corals, and schools of vibrant fish weaving through the maze.

“We knew every corner of that reef. It was like family to us,” Warmington recalled.

John Warmington, who has dived more than a thousand times in the same section of reef off Efate Island, Vanuatu, is pictured on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

John Warmington, who has dived more than a thousand times in the same section of reef off Efate Island, Vanuatu, is pictured on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Today, the reef is unrecognizable. Cyclone Pam in 2015 heavily damaged the coral, followed by runoff from inland eroding the seabed with sediments. Invasive crown-of-thorns starfish consumed what began to grow back. Two cyclones in 2023 delivered further destruction. As if that weren't enough, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in late 2024 disrupted the ocean floor.

The result is a devastated seabed — dead coral fragments scattered across the ocean floor, wrecked habitats, and silence where life once flourished. “We’ve come up from dives in tears,” Warmington shared. “It’s heartbreaking.”

This deep sense of loss is growing across Vanuatu, a nation grappling with rising seas, stronger storms, and saltwater creeping into freshwater sources. Since 1993, the sea level around the islands has increased faster than the global average, sometimes even doubling due to local geological shifts.

Global court to weigh in on country responsibilities over climate change

This Wednesday, Vanuatu’s plea will be heard by the highest court in the world. The International Court of Justice is set to deliver an advisory opinion on the steps nations are legally bound to take in combating climate change — and what might follow if these steps are neglected. The effort, led by Vanuatu with support from over 130 other nations, could become a landmark in international environmental law.

“It’s hard to watch major polluters carry on unchanged while we suffer here,” said Vepaiamele Trief, a 16-year-old Vanuatuan climate campaigner. “If this delivers a ruling on our side, it could make all the difference.”

Landslides caused by storms, heavy rains, and quakes now scar parts of Efate Island, Vanuatu, as seen Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Landslides caused by storms, heavy rains, and quakes now scar parts of Efate Island, Vanuatu, as seen Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

On Pele Island, children continue to find joy outdoors, unaware of the larger climate struggle unfolding around them. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

On Pele Island, children continue to find joy outdoors, unaware of the larger climate struggle unfolding around them. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Although the court’s opinion won’t be enforceable, it may influence future action to hold major polluters accountable and assist island nations in adapting to their changing environment.

The ruling comes after years of pleas from Pacific nations watching their lands disappear. In Tuvalu, where most land sits just a few meters above sea level, many have applied to relocate to Australia. Projections suggest much of Tuvalu could be underwater by the end of the century. Nauru’s government, meanwhile, is selling citizenship to raise funds for potential resettlement.

“International agreements simply aren’t moving quickly enough,” said Vanuatu’s climate change minister Ralph Regenvanu. “They fall short of what the science says we need to do.”

Vanuatu has also petitioned other global courts and advocates for recognizing ecocide — the deliberate destruction of the environment — as an international crime. “We must persist as long as we can,” Regenvanu said.

Climate change’s toll on daily life in Vanuatu

In Vanuatu, children learn firsthand about climate change — often from the disruption of their own schooling.

On Efate Island, teacher Noellina Tavi has spent much of the past three years conducting classes in emergency tents due to damaged buildings after natural disasters. First cyclones in 2023, then an earthquake in 2024, left her classrooms unusable.

With limited tent supplies, Tavi’s class had to merge with another. “It’s crowded, it’s chaotic, and the children struggle to concentrate,” she said.

Noellina Tavi oversees her elementary class in a tent set up in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Noellina Tavi oversees her elementary class in a tent set up in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Children sit inside this makeshift classroom, trying to learn as best as they can despite the heat, cold, and interruptions. Tents must be dismantled before every major storm, halting classes completely. “One approaching storm cancels a full week of learning,” Tavi said.

In remote farming communities, the impact hits food supplies. On Nguna Island, farmer Kaltang Laban has seen key crops like banana and taro decimated by repeated cyclones.

“After the storms, we’ve often been left with nothing to eat,” Laban said. With assistance from Save the Children, he now preserves produce to store in a local facility. “But many others don’t have this kind of help,” he added.

Farmer Kaltang Laban tends to his crops on Pele Island, Vanuatu, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Farmer Kaltang Laban tends to his crops on Pele Island, Vanuatu, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

He also helps organize preserved food storage for nearby families as part of a community initiative. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

He also helps organize preserved food storage for nearby families as part of a community initiative. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

About 70% of Vanuatu’s population lives in rural areas and relies heavily on subsistence farming, making them especially vulnerable.

In 2025, a significant water access project aimed at cyclone evacuation sites was cut short when financial support from a foreign partner ended, according to climate coordinator Vomboe Shem. Even though materials had already been delivered, the program was stopped.

“The cycle of destruction feels never-ending,” Shem said. “Our communities are struggling to keep up.”

Some of the environmental shifts aren’t only caused by climate change. Christina Shaw, director of the Vanuatu Environmental Science Society, noted other factors like population growth, development along coasts, soil erosion, and pollution all contribute to the nation's fragility.

“The ecosystems here are naturally delicate. They take a hit with every storm, every quake,” she said. “And human actions — locally and globally — compound that harm.”

Village leader Amos Kalsont visits his brother’s grave, now just steps from the ocean on Pele Island, Vanuatu, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Village leader Amos Kalsont visits his brother’s grave, now just steps from the ocean on Pele Island, Vanuatu, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Gravestones are beginning to crumble and sink into the shoreline, with some washed up by waves encroaching inland. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Gravestones are beginning to crumble and sink into the shoreline, with some washed up by waves encroaching inland. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Climate impact has reached places once considered sacred and permanent. On Pele Island, the sea has approached so close that graves are being claimed by the ocean. Some homes and gardens have already relocated inland. Salty seawater has contaminated the local freshwater supply. The village is now facing the difficult decision of moving entirely — a heartbreaking departure from ancestral lands cleared by previous generations.

“We didn’t cause this, yet we are paying the price,” said Kalsont. “It doesn’t feel just.”

Despite the challenges, many people in Vanuatu are holding on to hope — and are determined to build a stronger future.

“It’s about ensuring a better future for our children, and their children,” said Regenvanu. “We can’t stop working toward that.”

In Havannah Harbor, Warmington continues diving where the reef once thrived. Alongside his wife Sandy, he has begun replanting coral in efforts to bring life back to the ocean floor.

“Our friend — the reef — is still here,” he said. “Life is trying to return.”

A sea turtle grazes over a ruined coral bed at Havannah Harbour, Efate Island, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

A sea turtle grazes over a ruined coral bed at Havannah Harbour, Efate Island, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)