Geneva, 24 April 2022 (TDI): A group of Pacific islanders, Yessie Mosby, has complained to the UN human rights Council that Australia is not doing enough to protect people from climate change. The petition has been surged by Mr. Mosby and other fellow activists to draw the international community’s attention to their situation.
“We have the right to practice and carry on our traditions and culture and pass on what was passed on to us by our parents, our grandparents, and our ancestors,” remarked Molby in a recent interview by UN. He expressed his concern over transferring knowledge between generations due to the threats of environmental challenges to the people of Torres Strait Islands.
He emphasized protecting their island; otherwise, they would become refugees in their own country. While sharing his concern over the risk of relocation, Mobly remarked that government would relocate them to their homes.
“There are many dangerous things in the ocean, but the scariest thing is if the weather changes. You wonder if you will make it back home,” said the Representative from the Torres Strait Islands.
Background of the Island:
The Torres Strait Islands are an autonomous part of Australia and are highly impacted due to environmental changes, including climate crisis, rise in sea levels, extreme weather events, etc. Climate Change poses a significant threat to the 70,000 old indigenous community of the Island.
The Island is losing land to the sea due to the rising sea level. The livelihoods of the people in the surrounding villages are threatened by it—the loss of the land results in mental, physical, and spiritual effects on the people.
The wildlife and exotic species on the island are also endangered. The conversion of green lands into deserts results in the death and loss of several indigenous species of the Island. The lagoons filled with fish are also gone from the Island.