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Davis, Megan --- "Climate change impacts to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia" [2013] ELECD 259; in Abate, S. Randall; Kronk, Ann Elizabeth (eds), "Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013) 493

Book Title: Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples

Editor(s): Abate, S. Randall; Kronk, Ann Elizabeth

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781781001790

Section: Chapter 22

Section Title: Climate change impacts to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia

Author(s): Davis, Megan

Number of pages: 15

Abstract/Description:

This chapter will discuss the climate change impacts to indigenous peoples and then analyse how the rapidly changing legal framework addressing climate change in Australia will impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. While there has been significant scholarly writing addressing the impacts of climate change on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their environment in Australia, there is a paucity of analysis pertaining to the regulatory framework for climate change law that should regulate and provide recourse for these impacts. The Australian government recently enacted legislation that places a price on carbon and also enacted a new regulatory framework to address climate change including the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 (Cth), the Clean Energy Act 2011 (Cth) and the Clean Energy (Household Assistance Amendment) Act 2011 (Cth). All of these regulatory initiatives will impact indigenous peoples. Climate science observation confirms that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, especially the Torres Strait Islanders, are suffering the impacts of climate change with rising tides and changing weather patterns affecting the ability of peoples to discharge cultural obligations.