UN: Australia Climate Inaction Violated Islanders’ Rights
On Friday, a UN committee found that Australia violated the human rights of Torres Strait Islanders by failing to adequately protect them from the impacts of climate change.
Facts
- On Friday, a UN committee found that Australia violated the human rights of Torres Strait Islanders by failing to adequately protect them from the impacts of climate change.
- The committee stated that Australia had violated two of the three human rights set out in the 1966 UN Treaty the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights — pertaining to culture and family life.
- The finding came in response to a complaint filed three years ago by eight Torres Strait islanders — part of Australia’s Indigenous population — from the islands of Boigu, Poruma, Warraber, and Masig.
- The islanders argued that rising sea levels have damaged ancestral burial sites and food sources, and their homes are at risk of being submerged. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, more than 1B people will live in coastal areas at risk of rising sea levels by 2050.
- UN Committee member Hélène Tigroudja stated that “this decision marks a significant development as the committee has created a pathway for individuals to assert claims where national systems have failed” in regards to responding to climate change.
- The UN committee said the Australian government should compensate the islanders for the harm suffered, consult the community, and take action to secure their safety. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Australia “is considering the Committee’s views and will provide its response in due course.”
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, SBS, and SMH.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by ClientEarth. The Torres Strait Islanders have made international legal history with their landmark complaint, which has now been corroborated by the UN. This finding is a massive win for the islanders and also sets a firm legal precedent for governments worldwide to do more to fight the impending threat of climate change.
- Narrative B, as provided by CEI. Climate and environmental disasters have been predicted by modern-day doomsayers for decades. None of the apocalyptic predictions have come true so far; why would this time be any different?
