29 July 2022 – by Ella Kiyomi Dobson
Torres Strait/Zenadh Kes Islander communities have been fighting for years to meet with the Australian government to express the devastating impacts climate change has on their homes. The lack of concern from the government resulted in a group of Torres Strait Islander people filing a complaint about the Australian government’s inaction to the UN Human Rights Committee, in addition to filing a lawsuit against the government. Still, last year the government refused to acknowledge the effect climate change has on this group of islands.
Torres Strait is a region on the northern tip of Queensland, Australia, home to low-lying islands inhabited by First Nations Australians. Previous research shows that the sea level rise on these islands is double that of the global average. From 2017 to 2021, Torres Strait Islanders saw a considerable amount of their land disappearing, with “eight metres get[ting] taken away” in just four years due to erosion, rising sea levels, and flooding. The shallowness of the islands lends itself and its communities to coastal inundation, which can contaminate water supply, destroy crops, wash away roads and the remains of loved ones, and damage sacred cultural sites. The communities rely on the sea for a large part of their diet, and one community member notes that “certain fish are not found on a particular reef when they used to be in the abundance. They are not there.” These threats of erosion, rising sea level and high investment in infrastructure are significant concerns that will continue to worsen over the coming years.
After years of fighting, the Torres Strait Islander communities finally met with the Australian government to express the need for change and protections at the beginning of July. The Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, has conceded that climate change does pose a “real and substantial” threat to these communities. Chris Bowen visited the Torres Strait Islands to hear first-hand what their concerns are, as well as to see the impacts these people are facing. While this may be a good first step, governments need to acknowledge and prioritise the concerns expressed by its people before it is too late to act. The consequence of the impacts on these islands may lead to the displacement of Torres Strait Islander people who have lived on the islands for more than 65,000 years.
