'We want to be included': First Nations demand a say on climate change
Cairns event sees 120 traditional owners and scientists share insights on tackling heatwaves, rising seas and species deaths More than 100 traditional owners and leading scientists from across Australia met this week to build a national First Nations voice on climate change. From marine heatwaves and rising seas to bushfires and mass species deaths, climate change is having a major impact on First Peoples, their country, health and culture. Internationally, Indigenous people make up less than 5% of the worlds population, but they manage and protect 80% of global biodiversity. This week in Cairns, the CSIRO convened the National First Peoples Gathering on Climate Change. One hundred and twenty traditional owners from more than 40 nations met with climate scientists and Bureau of Meteorology experts to share insights about where, why and how fast the climate in Australia is changing. The gatherings co-chair, Bianca McNeair, who is a Malgana woman from Gatharagudu (Shark Bay) in Western Australia, said: We want to be included in the climate policy, not just like ticking the box for an environmental program. McNeair said Aboriginal people are on the frontline daily, coping with the impacts of a changing environment. Changing climate affects our cultural practices, its changing our seasonal calendars, she said. All of those things are facing all our mob across Australia. [People here] are talking about how the birds movements across country have changed, so thats changing songlines that theyve been singing for thousands and thousands of years, and how thats impacting them as a community and culture. You know, we are very resilient people, so its a challenge we were ready to take on. But now were facing a situation thats not predictable, its not part of our natural environmental pattern. McNeair said Aboriginal knowledge holders and the scientific community at the conference have agreed on guidelines for ethical and culturally appropriate partnerships, which are essential to mitigation and adaptation. On her homelands at Gatharagudu at Shark Bay, working with scientists, theyve begun planting sea grasses for carbon sequestration. Were learning from the scientists how to plant the seagrass, which was not something that was part of our traditional culture because we never really had to do that it was managed through other means. We didnt have this whole global warming, which is raising the temperature of our water, McNeair said. We were saying to the scientists, Whats wrong with our dugong and turtles? And they were explaining about the marine heatwave, and how thats all changing. So one of the things that Ive learned is what the [seagrass] seedlings look like, and how to plant them. For me, as a saltwater person, that means Im planting a tree in the ocean, and Im planting a tree thats going to take in 10 times more carbon than a tree on land. That, to me, is really exciting and its keeping our spiritual connection to country that keeps giving us hope. The gathering is currently drafting a national statement on climate change, due to be released soon. Aboriginal people manage 80% of the worlds biodiversity, McNeair says. Were in this position where we can make a big change, but we need to be listened to. What we really need is to be able to get to the top levels of government and be heard and be included in that discussion and developing those climate change policies.