A climate refugee seeking asylum in New Zealand is taking his fight to the Supreme Court.
Ioane Teitiota has been battling deportation back to Kiribati since 2011 when he overstayed his visa.
He argues he faces indirect persecution from global warming in his home country.
Photo: AFP / SPC
Earlier appeals to the courts have been knocked back, but Mr Teitiota has now been given leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.
His lawyer Michael Kidd hopes developments in the past few months will work in their favour.
He said since the Court of Appeal's decision in May last year, the Fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has reported back, suggesting small island sea levels are rising at a faster rate.
Mr Kidd said he had asked the Supreme Court to consider the report as evidence.