TOKYO -- The battle between China and the West for influence in the Pacific Ocean provides an opening for roughly 20 small island states to spur action against the threat of climate change.
Vanuatu, a low-lying country east of Australia, published in November a draft United Nations resolution requesting a so-called advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice -- one of the world's most high-profile courts -- on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from climate change.
