As rising tides threaten their home, Torres Strait Islanders return from COP28 disappointed

Torres Strait Islanders have returned from the 28th United Nations Framework Conventions of Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) global climate summit feeling let down by the refusal of governments to decisively phase out fossil fuels.

The summit was held in Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates that boasts a state-of-the-art circular economy and is also one of the world’s top producers of fossil fuels.

Tishiko King is a Kulkalaig woman from Masig, with Badulagal connections, who is based in Naarm (Melbourne).

She’s a passionate climate advocate with 350.org and marine biologist.

“I went to represent my community and the ‘Our Islands, Our Home’ campaign,” she said.

“Advancing seas are threatening our homes and our islands, damaging freshwater supplies, crops, burial grounds and our sacred cultural sites.”

King has attended the COP for three years in a row.

She says the latest conference has left her “heartbroken”.

“It failed [us],” she said.

“How do we return back to our communities and tell them, ‘Well, as a globe, we had leadership that was not able to agree to phasing out fossil fuels’?”

Scheduled to run from November 30 to December 12, the event was prolonged a further 24 hours when global leaders debated whether to “phase out” or “transition away” from fossil fuels.

President for COP28, Head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and UAE politician, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, said the eventual agreement to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels was historic.

“We have given it a robust action plan to keep 1.5 [degrees of warming] within reach,” he said.

“We have language on fossil fuel in our final agreement, for the first time ever,” he said.

But the United Nations Chief, Antonio Guterres, conceded that the final deal fell short of the long-demanded call for a “phaseout” of oil, coal and gas.

“To those who opposed a clear reference to a phaseout of fossil fuels in the COP28 text, I want to say that a fossil fuel phase out is inevitable whether they like it or not.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come too late,” he said.

‘We should not be evacuating the land of our ancestors’

Francis Nona says First Nations people have 65,000 years of evidence to fall back on when talking about environmental sciences. Credit: Supplied

Francis Nona is based in Brisbane, but grew up on Sabai Island, where Traditional Owners are at risk of becoming Australia’s first climate refugees.

He said it was the plight of his people, who are fighting for their right to be able to live and continue culture on Country, that inspired him to become an academic climate scholar at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Mr Nona shared his PHD research at the international event.

“The title of the research is ‘The canary in the coal mine’,” he said.

“When I look at the Torres Straits, we are the canary in the coal mine. What happens … when the canary dies? We’re meant to evacuate.

“Well, First Nations people should not be evacuating the lands of their ancestors.”

He said he explored how Indigenous knowledges could be embedded into government policies to create positive change to health.

“Something I learned very early on in my academic career is, you can be a staunch advocate, but the minute you start aligning with evidence, it’s harder for people to step aside,” he said.

“Our evidence goes back 65,000 years, and they want to challenge us, as First Nations people, [askling] ‘How do you go about proving that?’” he said.

Mr Nona said the decision to transition away from fossil fuels was a “starting point” for the globe, but more work was needed.

“It’s more than what we had, but it’s still a commitment to something that’s not tangible,” he said.

Fight must go on

According to the Torres Strait Regional Authority, sea levels in the region are rising at a rate of between 6-8mm per year.

In September 2022, Australia was found by the UN Human Rights Committee to have violated the rights of Torres Strait Islanders by neglecting climate action.

The case set a global precedent that would pave the way for the global Loss and Damage Fund being established at COP27 in November 2022.

Ms King said while the Australian government had committed tens of millions of dollars to build sea walls on islands in the Torres Strait, there were gaps in the funding.

“It’s actually been inadequate, where on my island of Masig with the funding that’s been allocated, can only build 100 metres and that’s just not good enough,” she said.

Ms King said by inadequately funding adaptation measures, the government was refusing to the pay the required loss and damage.

“For me, you know, we have to continue to do this because we don’t have a choice.”

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