The Torres Straight Islanders’ right to preserve their culture was breached, according to a United Nations ruling, since Australia failed to safeguard them from the effects of climate change.
Following a 2019 complaint by eight Australian citizens and six of their children from four tiny, low-lying islands, the UN’s human rights committee reached its conclusion.
Boigu, Poruma, Warraber, and Masig residents said that their rights had been infringed as a result of the Morrison administration’s failure to take appropriate action to rebuild the seawalls on the islands and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to committee member Hélène Tigroudja, “the committee has opened a channel for people to raise claims when state systems have failed to take necessary steps to safeguard those most susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change on the enjoyment of their human rights.”
The islanders said that changes to weather patterns had a direct negative impact on their way of life, culture, and livelihood.
While frequent rain and storms have deteriorated the soil and limited the amount of food available from farming and fishing, flooding caused by tidal surges has destroyed cemeteries and left human remains dispersed over the islands.
On Masig Island, the rising tide has led to soil contamination from saltwater seeping into the ground and sick coconut palms.
The committee said that extra precautions were necessary despite Australia’s building of new seawalls on the four islands, which is anticipated to be finished by 2023.
Australia has been requested by the UN to make amends for damage done to the Islanders, engage with them to determine their needs, and take action to maintain the safety of the communities.
According to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, the committee’s conclusion showed a global concern that policy should be driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s solutions.
Government must commit to genuine cooperation, responsibility, and delivering results, executive officer Jamie McConnachie said, even though it is aware of what communities need.
“Our right to culture.”
The notion that culture is a stabilising force must be revered, and it should guide the formulation of law, policy, and service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Nothing about ourselves or our nation should exist without us.
The Climate Council applauded the decision, and Dr. Simon Bradshaw, head of research, said that the loss and harm suffered by Torres Islanders “epitomises the unfairness at the core of the climate problem.”
According to him, climate change poses a serious danger to culture and the close linkages that people have to their land and water, in addition to undermining physical security.
The Australian government must take every precaution to prevent more damage by lowering emissions this decade, keeping fossil fuels in the ground, and offering much more assistance to people in the Torres Strait as they adjust to the effects of climate change.