PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago — The President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson, has put forward a groundbreaking proposal for the creation of an international compensation mechanism financed by major corporations to address climate change-related disasters. Speaking at a high-level international conference, Justice Anderson outlined his vision for what he termed the International Climate Injuries Compensation (ICIC) Fund.
The initiative, presented during the keynote address at the ‘Climate Change Advisory Opinions from International Courts: Exploring Synergies and Implications’ conference, aims to revolutionize how climate damages are addressed globally. The event, hosted by The University of the West Indies Faculty of Law in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Environmental Law, gathered leading jurists and legal scholars in Barbados on March 19-20, 2026.
Justice Anderson emphasized that the ICIC Fund would provide a practical alternative to the current complex litigation processes that often hinder compensation for climate victims. The framework would operate under an international convention requiring compulsory funding from greenhouse gas-emitting corporations within contracting states, with contributions calculated based on their percentage of annual emissions.
The proposal specifically addresses the unique vulnerabilities of small island developing states, particularly Caribbean nations that continue to experience increasingly severe weather systems. Justice Anderson referenced Hurricane Melissa from October 2025 as a recent example of the devastating impacts these regions face.
While acknowledging the Caribbean’s progressive recognition that environmental rights constitute human rights, Justice Anderson noted that existing regional frameworks remain inadequate for addressing transboundary climate crises. He stressed the critical importance of accessible legal remedies to support vulnerable states and their citizens in managing loss and damage while rebuilding their economies.
The proposed fund would align with both the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle and customary international law requiring states to ensure that economic activities within their jurisdictions do not cause environmental harm to other countries. Contracting states would bear responsibility for monitoring and reporting corporate entities to the fund, creating an accountable and transparent system for climate justice.