‘We’ve lost everything’ – Torres Strait Islanders

Uncle Pabai and Uncle Paul are from the Torres Strait Islands – remote, low-lying islands in the waters between mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Their ancestors have lived on those islands for thousands of years. Now, they say their homes face an existential threat from rising sea levels and destructive tides which flood the land.

“We’ve lost everything. Our gardens, our food, everything that we need. We’ve lost it because of the salt water that is damaging the soil,” says Uncle Pabai.

“We’re sinking, we’ve got to do something, otherwise it’s going to be too late,” says Uncle Paul.“I will have totally lost my cultural identity.”

Their full names are Pabai Pabai and Guy Paul Kabai, and the title Uncle is used as a mark of respect for Elders in the Torres Strait Islanders’ communities.

They have travelled overseas for the first time to COP27, to meet with other community leaders and share their peoples’ story, in the hope it will have an impact on Australian government policy.

But they are not placing all of their hopes on COP. The two men have brought a legal case against the Australian government in an attempt to force it to drastically cut its emissions.

The current government, which took office in June, has said it will work with the Torres Straits Islanders on climate change.

Another group of residents of the same islands took their case to a UN human rights committee last year.