Australia’s only Indigenous youth-led environmental group has condemned the federal government for excluding First Nations people from its plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Tishiko King, campaign director for SEED Indigenous Youth Climate Network, said she’s flying to Glasgow on Friday to make sure Indigenous people are heard at the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
“When something impacts our future, we need to have voices there to represent us, so that we have the rights that we deserve,” the Kulkalaig woman said.
“First Nations leadership and traditional practice are integral to tackling the climate crisis here on so-called Australia.”
Ms King said she’s disappointed there was no mention of Indigenous people in the government’s announcement on Tuesday of achieving net zero 'the Australian way'.
“These are key decision-making processes (and) we don’t have a seat at the table... It’s really upsetting,” she said.
“Why aren’t our leaders consulting Aboriginal communities in this process when decisions will impact their Country?”
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor told NITV News there are opportunities for Indigenous communities to benefit from participating in the carbon offsets market.
“The Morrison Government’s plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 has been designed for Australia with all Australians in mind,” he said.
Mr Taylor told News Corp today the government will refuse the US and European-backed pledge for a 30 per cent cut in methane emissions by the end of the decade at next week’s summit in Glasgow.
50 per cent of the country’s methane emissions come from the agriculture sector, while 29 per cent come from the production and transportation of coal and liquefied natural gas.
Ms King said the government’s rejection of the methane reduction pledge proves their commitments aren’t strong enough.
“Their targets are nothing when public money is used to fund fossil fuel expansion,” she said.
“We are already seeing the impacts of oceans rising in the Torres Strait Islands, our country is burning.”
Ms King’s brother Yessie Mosby is one of eight claimants from Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands) who brought a complaint against the federal government’s inaction on climate change to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Watching rising sea levels affect her country, family and their sacred sites have caused Ms King suffering.
“First Nations people are so deeply connected to our land, our rivers, our oceans that we feel when Mother is hurting.”
“We have done the least to cause the climate crisis globally yet we are hit first and worst.”
Ms King said she hopes her trip to Glasgow will add to the public pressure on the government to act urgently on climate change.
“It's my responsibility to do this and help support Traditional Owners that are living on country in remote areas of Australia.”
“This is so urgent. I’m happy to be in this space to do that.”
