Islanders take Australia to UN over climate inaction

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Islanders from the low lying Torres Strait Islands off Australia's northeast coast, facing one of the worst consequences of rising sea levels, on Monday filed a complaint with the UN against their government for not doing enough to tackle the devastating impact of climate change.

A group of eight islanders said that the Australian government's inaction to deal with climate change is violating their fundamental human rights. They submitted their plea to the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva, making it the world's first human rights complaint over climate change.

Rising sea levels frequently flood homes and cultural sites, forcing islanders to shift to safer places. Apart from floods, rising sea temperatures are destroying coral reefs and acidifying the ocean reducing marine life diversity.

"We're currently seeing the effects of climate change on our islands daily, with rising seas, tidal surges, coastal erosion, and inundation of our communities," Kabay Tamu, one of the complainants said.

"We are seeing this effect on our land and on the social and emotional well being of our communities who practice culture and traditions."

Islanders have requested the government to set aside 14 million U.S. dollars for the construction of infrastructure, including sea walls to save the islands from drowning. Torres Strait Islands of Saibai, Boigu, Masig, Warraber, and Lamavii are already particularly vulnerable to inundation, warned a study by Displacement Solutions released last year.

ClientEarth, an environmental law group is assisting the islanders with the legal procedure.

"Climate change is fundamentally a human rights issue. The predicted impacts of climate change in the Torres Strait, including the inundation of ancestral homelands, would be catastrophic for its people," said Sophie Marjanac, ClientEarth's lead lawyer on the case.

"Australia's continued failure to build infrastructure to protect the islands, and to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, constitutes a clear violation of the islanders' rights to culture, family, and life."

Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) estimate shows that in the Torres Strait Islands sea levels are rising by 0.2 inches annually nearly double the global average.

Islanders are also demanding Australian policymakers to reduce carbon emissions by at least 65 percent below 2005 levels in the next two decades. They also want coal-fired power stations known for causing toxic emission to be phased out.

(Cover: King tides and strong winds have caused flooding on several islands in the Torres Strait generating concerns about climate change and rising sea levels, August 9, 2006. /VCG Photo)