Traditional community-based knowledge for envisioning climate change action for the Torres Strait

• Published in: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
• Main Author: Nona, Francis
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Elsevier B.V. 2024
• Subjects: climate change; Indigenous health; Torres Strait; IARE; First Nations
• Online Access: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/255666/

The stars have been a compass and an encyclopedia for Torres Strait Islander people for thousands of years. The constellations of Tagai, the warrior, and baidam, the shark, guide the way for navigation on the sea and herald the changing seasons. As a child, my elders taught me what the changing seasons meant: when to plant, the change in the trade winds, when to hunt turtle and dugong and ceremonies. My elders also told me that they had noticed changes in the climate, such as the tides that were inundating the cemetery where our ancestors lie and changes to flowering of plants. These changes to the climate have also been documented by the Traditional Owners.1 First Nations peoples globally contribute very little to the greenhouse gas emissions that impact climate change but suffer the most from the effects of climate change on the environments they live in, with the impacts of climate change threatening the ability of First Nations peoples to enjoy the right to life on their homelands.2 It is important that the peoples of the Torres Strait can navigate the complexities of climate change as a public health issue for First Nations peoples of both the Torres Strait and across Australia. To achieve this, Torres Strait Islander-led research is needed to identify the intersections of climate and health, including self-determination. As a public health researcher, a Registered Nurse, and a Torres Strait Islander man, my work and lived experiences extend across all three of these intersecting identities and have relevance in responding to climate change to protect the health of my People and Country.