Bridging climate justice and SRHR in the Pacific - in conversation Jessica Work

 In the Pacific, the climate crisis is not a distant threat, it is a lived reality, deeply entwined with questions of health, rights, and justice. Recognising and responding to these interconnections is essential to building resilient, inclusive futures.
​
We had the privilege of speaking with Climate Reality Leader, Youth Networker for the International Planned Parenthood Federation Sub-Regional Office for the Pacific (IPPF SROP), and advisor to Youth Oceans - Youth Oceanic Consortium for Engagement, Advocacy and Networking in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Justice (SRHRJ), Jessica Work, about the critical role of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in climate justice and how Pacific youth are shaping responses that are grounded, strategic, and profoundly community led.

Climate Reality: What inspired you to do the Climate Reality Leadership training, and how has the training shaped your work in the climate space?

Jessica Work: I joined the Climate Reality Project because I was tired of seeing SRHR always placed in the background of climate conversations, especially in the Pacific, where we live the climate crisis every day. SRHR is already difficult to access in our region due to colonial legacies, under-resourced systems, and geographical barriers. Climate change is now making that access even more precarious.

I also wanted to join this space to be part of the movement that ensures the Pacific is never left out of global climate conversations and continues to shift the narrative that we are not a symbol for loss but a symbol of resilience and needed change. For me, joining was about making sure that these interconnected struggles are no longer ignored. The training gave me a stronger, more grounded understanding of climate justice, expanded my tools for advocacy and selfcare, and helped me connect with other youth who, like me, are reclaiming our space in this.

Climate Reality: How does climate change affect access to reproductive healthcare, and why is it vital to link climate justice with SRHR?
​
Jessica Work: Climate change hits our lands, yes, but it also hits our sexual and reproductive health and rights. In the Pacific, when a cyclone hits, health clinics are destroyed. When flooding comes, supply chains are cut off. When communities are relocated, youth and women lose access to vital services, from contraception to prenatal care to safe spaces for sexual health education.

And yet, SRHR is still seen as a side issue in many climate spaces. It’s not. It is fundamental. When crisis strikes, the need for safe births doesn’t disappear. The right to choose doesn’t disappear. The right to dignity and bodily autonomy doesn’t disappear.
​
That’s why linking climate justice with SRHR is vital. SRHR saves lives, it is about justice, and about human rights, especially for those already most vulnerable.

​Climate Reality: What’s the most effective way young advocates can influence climate and reproductive justice policy?

Jessica Work: The most effective way for young people to influence policy is through being given the space to meaningfully participate (not tokenism). We need to be included from the start, not brought in after decisions have already been made. Young people should be co-developing policies, co-leading strategies, and supported with the resources and spaces necessary to do so.

We don’t need to be empowered, we already have the power, we have the knowledge (though we love to learn more), and we have the lived experience. 

What we need are platforms that take our voices seriously, provide funding for our initiatives, and recognise youth not just as advocates, but as decision makers too.

Climate Reality: How can we work across generations to build stronger, lasting movements?

Jessica Work: In the Pacific, intergenerational knowledge sharing is part of our culture. Our elders carry wisdom, lived experience, and historical understanding. Youth bring creativity, innovation, and urgency. Together, we are stronger, and we keep the movement alive.

To build lasting movements, we need spaces for mutual respect, where seasoned activists pass on their knowledge, and where youth are supported to lead in new and dynamic ways. That means elders creating space for youth to lead in their own way, and youth honouring the foundations built by those who came before us. It’s about dialogue, not hierarchy. Collaboration, not competition. Mentorship must be paired with openness to change. The goal is not to hand over leadership, but to walk alongside each other, keeping the movement alive, relevant, and growing for many generations to come.

Climate Reality: What can the world learn from Pacific communities about tackling climate, gender, and youth challenges together?
​
Jessica Work: Pacific communities offer an urgent model of how to address climate, gender, and youth issues - not in isolation, but as deeply interconnected struggles that require collective solutions. In our region, we don’t separate the environment from people, or policy from lived experience. Our advocacy is rooted in community, culture, and care, and in the understanding that no solution is sustainable unless it is inclusive of the people most affected.

We’ve shown the world what principled, values-led leadership looks like. From Tuvalu’s Minister Simon Kofe standing in rising seas to demand climate action, to the powerful youth-led movement through the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) that led to the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (ICJAO). We have demonstrated that Pacific voices, especially youth voices, can drive global legal and political shifts. These were not symbolic acts; they were strategic, rooted in ancestral wisdom, and powered by communities working together across generations and islands.
​
What makes our advocacy different is how relational and grounded it is. We do not just speak to institutions; we speak from our land, our people, and our values. We don’t wait for permission, we act with urgency, because the climate crisis is already threatening our ways of life.

​For generations, our people have lived with nature, not against it. Our traditional practices of land and ocean stewardship, communal living, and intergenerational leadership offer a blueprint for the just, sustainable world we are trying to build. Climate change is not something we caused, yet we are among the most committed to addressing it, because we understand what’s truly at stake: life, culture, sovereignty, and future generations.

​The world has much to learn from the Pacific: how to lead with integrity, how to act collectively, how to centre justice, and how to hold onto hope even in the face of crisis. 

We have never just been victims of climate change. We are solution-builders. We are movement-makers.

Climate Reality: What are your hopes for the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on climate change, and how do you see it influencing gender and youth advocacy?

Jessica Work: The ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change is a landmark victory, not only for the Pacific but for global climate justice. It’s a testament to what’s possible when small island nations and youth leaders come together with purpose and conviction. I see this process as a turning point. It offers a legal foundation to hold governments accountable for climate inaction, including their responsibility to protect the SRHR of their populations. This ruling gives weight to our demands and global visibility to the issues we’ve been shouting about for years.

It’s also a reminder to the world: don’t underestimate youth. Don’t underestimate the Pacific. We are not the ‘sad stories from the Pacific’; we are here to shape law, shift systems, and claim justice for our people.

Climate Reality: Is there anything else you would like to add?
​
Jessica Work: SRHR must be part of every climate conversation. It is not a secondary issue, it is a core part of people’s survival and dignity, particularly in the Pacific and other frontline regions.
Youth deserve more than symbolic inclusion. We must be engaged meaningfully, resourced adequately, and trusted to lead. We are not the leaders of tomorrow; we are the leaders of today!