Effects of Climatic and Environmental Change on Australian Indigenous People - Essay Example

Effects of Climatic and Environmental Change to Australian Indigenous People Name Institutional Affiliation Date Table of Contents Introduction 3 Implications of climatic & environmental change to Australian Indigenous People 4 Extreme Conditions with regard to Area of Residence 4 Changes in the land utility, cover and depletion of natural resources 5 Health, Housing and Inequality 7 Marginalized Technology and Power 8 Disruption of Land Ownership Rights 9 Regional Climatic Implications resulting from Climate Change Mitigation Policies 10 Inequality in effects of efforts of cutting Down Emission of Carbon 10 Turning Adversities into opportunities 11 Conclusion 12 References 12 Introduction In the recent past, there have been changes in the climatic patterns around the globe, as a result of man’s continued depletion of the natural resources, and in turn emitting substances into the surrounding environment. The depletion of the natural resources and emission of harmful substances into the environment have adversely affected the general climate in most of the world’s parts. Developed and developing countries are experiencing such climatic changes that have had certain impacts on the lives of individuals living in those areas. This essay covers in detail the fact that the Indigenous Australian communities are at risk of the adverse changes in the patterns of the climate in the country, and it highlights the basic impacts of the climatic changes on the Indigenous People of Australia. In Australia, the indigenous communities are vulnerable to changes in the climatic patterns. This is attributed to the fact that the Indigenous People of Australia form a high number of the country’s general population, in addition to their strategic location in Australia. According to Head et al (2014) and Bird et al (2013), the remote Australian Indigenous economy is basically identified as a non-market economy adds up to the hardship that the Indigenous People go through. The effects of reducing on the carbon emissions have proven inequitable, and the compensations schemes developed in order to give consideration to the Indigenous Australians who earn low incomes do not meet the required effectiveness. However, the Indigenous People in Australia could be advantaged as they are currently the legal owners of close to 20% of the total Australian land, as provided by the native title and land rights in Australia (Ross & Gerrard, 2008). This could present them with comparative advantage as a result of the new markets with regard to carbon emission. Therefore, this essay summarises the possible implications of the changes in the environmental and climatic changes to the Indigenous People in Australia. Implications of climatic & environmental change to Australian Indigenous People The global union that deals with conservation has come up with a framework that will help identify the vulnerability of Indigenous People in the world, and the Australian Indigenous People have been named among the vulnerable communities (Green, 2007). Vulnerability is a major concern in the discussion of climatic changes and implications. The vulnerability takes two faces; social and biophysical. While the biophysical effects entail area of residence, natural resources, exposure to extreme weather and environmental conditions and land utility, social effects entail inequality in resource distribution, high poverty levels, health, place of technology, land rights and power and leadership. These implications are herein discussed into detail. Extreme Conditions with regard to Area of Residence Abate & Kronk (2013) argue that the conservation union has asserted that most of the world’s Indigenous People occupy habitats that are often harsh and fragile environmentally, and in most cases, isolated from other communities. Such factors as the topography of these habitats, their latitudes, the quality of the soil and even the distance away from sea make these areas more vulnerable to changes in the conditions of the environment. Statistics reveal that most of the Australian Indigenous People reside in regional and city environs, with only up to 25% of these people occupying the remote localities. Statistics further show that up to around 45% of the remote occupants are the Indigenous People (Green et al, 2010). Although the effects of climatic change in the Australian continent as a whole have not been identified by the area of occurrence, there are high expectations of changes in the overall pattern of the frequency, form and degree of harsh environmental conditions. In Australia as a country, the temperature is expected to rise by a rough estimate of 2 degrees. The intensity of rainfall is expected to be on the rise, with the severity of cyclones and storms getting worse. Floods are expected to cause more destruction along the coastal regions as a result of the rains and rise in the sea levels. The Indigenous People living in the coastal or interior parts are likely to be affected adversely by such changes. Citing the Northern coastal regions of Australia, disturbances by storms and floods are a major expectation. The Torres Strait Islanders are mostly going to face the effects of inundation as a result of the rising sea levels (Kershaw et al, 2003, & Bentley & Bourke, 2014). The severity of the changes in the climatic patterns in the remote areas of Australia will be coupled up with the lack of adequate facilities which will be used to combat the effects of these disturbances, and emergency responses to such conditions are in most cases slow. Changes in the land utility, cover and depletion of natural resources The implications of climatic changes are expected to be profoundly interfere with biodiversity. Research has revealed that a continued pattern in the change of the climatic conditions is likely to cause total loss of biodiversity. The changes in biodiversity with regard to climate change entail disruption of specie distribution. Exotic and native species of plants are expected to relocate geographically, and the gentle and malignant species developing invasive features (Hiscock, 2002). The patterns of plant pollination, reproduction periods and migration patterns are also expected to change. There is a supposed increase in the outbreak of infections, pests and wildfires. According to Green et al (2010), combination of high temperatures and increased rates of evaporation is likely to result in a reduction in the rates of flow of rivers in Australia. This means increased rates of utilization of water as a natural resource. This move is directly linked to increased pressure on the tropical water sources and land owned by the Indigenous People of Australia. The northern parts of Australia are likely to face increase in the temperature levels, with equally high levels of rainfall in the rainy seasons, leading to floods and increased soil salinity. This might also mean a threat of extinction of species that could be vulnerable to such adverse climatic conditions, as these implications take place within a short time, causing massive destruction to biodiversity. Destruction of biodiversity may result in disruption to the way of life of the Indigenous communities in Australia (Abate & Kronk, 2013). There is big likelihood of the Indigenous People living in the remote parts relying on such natural resources as a means of survival. Just like in the past, these people still practice hunting and fishing for food. Although hunting as a major source of food today is regarded as being customary, any disruption of the biodiversity in the remote areas could further worsen the living standards of the Indigenous People in the remote areas. As indicated by research. Abate & Kronk further note that as indicated by research, wildlife is a more stable source of food in remote Australia as well as the coastal parts of S. Wales. Bird et al (2013) note that natural resources also form the economy of the Indigenous People. Trade is carried out and indigenous products are exchanged for cash. Native art and design as well as foods are the main commodities of trade. Industries that deal in craft products also rely on native plants and objects as the basic raw materials. It should be noted that in the past, any participation in art, craft and design related functions had a commercial value attached to it. The Indigenous People highly revere and hold the natural resources as they form a basic part of their spirituality and culture, whether in the urban or remote areas. In view of Green (2007) & Hiscock (2002), changes in the land cover as a result of changes in the climatic conditions have led to distabilisation of the traditional ways of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous communities of Australia. This change means adoption of new ways of managing the ecosystems which carried traditional significance and cultural meaning. This is so as certain habitats were recognized as having a link to the culture of the Indigenous People. Away from a cultural inclination, the effects of land degradation as a result of changes in the climatic make up are more pronounced in the remote areas as there are lesser populations in such areas, and efforts to manage land degradation might not be sufficient enough, as the remote areas are sparsely populated. Health, Housing and Inequality Although attention with regard to socio-economic implications of climate change on lower income earning groups has largely been given to Black Americans, recent studies have also identified the Australian Indigenous Communities as affected groups (Ross & Gerrard, 2008). A community with a weak socio-economic base is likely to be adversely affected with changes in the climatic conditions. For instance, a community with a poor nutritional and health base is not likely to adapt nor withstand the adverse changes in climatic conditions as opposed to those with a strong and effective nutritional base, as well as those with substandard housing facilities cannot withstand adverse weather conditions. Head et al (2014) suppose that increased temperatures have been linked to the highrates of spread of infections among the Indigenous People, with limited health facilities installed in these communities. The Indigenous People of Australia have been presented as being badly placed in socio-economic terms. Studies have indicated that the conditions of the Indigenous Australians are poorer in comparison to other communities. Reduced life expectancies, increased rates of infant mortality, lack of employment opportunities, low education levels and increased disease and inability conditions are characteristic of the Indigenous People of Australia (Abate & Kronk, 2013). These are the basic indicators of high levels of poverty. In addition, the Indigenous Australians have high incidence rates of patients suffering from diseases which have been linked to poor environmental conditions such as pneumonia and asthma. Marginalized Technology and Power Most Indigenous People of Australia have difficulty in accessing such resources as technology and information (Kershaw et al, 2003 & Green, 2007). This limited access is more profound in the remote and inaccessible areas. These people therefore are in constant sickness and illiteracy as their access of health and education facilities is hindered. There have been poorly designed federal plans which work against development in the remote Indigenous areas of Australia. Such measures as reduced government support for development oriented financial decisions hider work against the Indigenous People’s access of information through development and education. Green further asserts that with poor climatic conditions in place, the Indigenous People become more marginalized with each passing day. Since the Indigenous Communities are an isolated lot, it is common practice for the government to give little attention to their inclusion in the government and ruling systems, as their education levels are low. This may therefore mean little development of infrastructure and utilization of technology to enhance their living standards. Disruption of Land Ownership Rights In view of Bentley & Bourke (2014), migration is an involuntary step among communities that have been adversely affected by changes in the climatic patterns. In most cases, Indigenous People move from the remote to the urban places. Those who cannot stand the pressures of inundation in the Coastal lowlands are forced to migrate to raised grounds. This is the case with the Torres Strait Islanders who are likely to relocate to higher grounds in order to avoid the adverse effects of flooding. However, the relocation of the Indigenous Australians is a topic that has received heated debate. The fact that stands out is that the Indigenous People have owned and lived on their lands without any form of interruption. Therefore, any attempts to relocate the Indigenous People from their ancestral lands might result in serious social, economic and cultural changes that could be distasteful. Hiscock (2002) suggests that in addition, some of the Indigenous Communities have put a lot of effort in defending their ancestral rights of land ownership, in which case relocation is likely to face opposition or else end in undesirable circumstances. Regional Climatic Implications resulting from Climate Change Mitigation Policies Green(2007) and Ross & Gerrard (2008) argue that within the climate change vulnerability framework is a system that provides a means of adapting to these adverse climatic changes and their resultant implications. It discusses such methods of adaptation as moderation of any potential destruction caused by the changes, turning the adversities into opportunities and in other circumstances basically putting up with the effects of the climatic changes. From the implications of the adverse climatic conditions, generation of mitigation policies in possible. According to Green (2007), these mitigation policies have a number of implications on the Australian Indigenous Communities. For instance, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders might be affected by efforts to cut down on the emission of carbon, while other members of society might benefit from trading of carbon. Inequality in effects of efforts of cutting Down Emission of Carbon The schemes that cater for emission trading have been termed as favourable to high income earners only. As they are only affordable to the rich, they tend to promote inequitable distribution of income. Any additional cost that business firms meet in an attempt to operate with regard to cutting down on the emission of carbon is finally felt by the consumers. Such additional costs hold if a business is not in apposition to justify its claims for deduction of tax with regard to carbon emission reduction. Costs that are intended to meet reduction of carbon emission are most felt by the economically disadvantaged groups, and such are the Indigenous People in Australia, who rank among the low income earners in Australia (Bentley & Bourke, 2014). This implies that any policies that are created with intent to mitigate the impacts of adverse climatic conditions have negative financial effects on the low income Indigenous Australians if they have negative effects on the economy. Turning Adversities into opportunities Indigenous People are in a position to take advantage of the unfavourable situations presented by the climatic changes into opportunities. For instance, the Australian Indigenous communities possess native skills which could be highly utilized in the fire management strategies (Green et al, 2010). Bushfires have been identified as a significant source of the greenhouse effect. In an effort to reduce the effects caused by bushfires, there have been efforts to construct firebreaks which ensure there is no spreading of fire in cases of bushfires during the dry seasons. This strategy heavily relies on a combination of technology and Indigenous skills. These firebreaks will ensure that a fire is started and managed during the early stages of the dry season, when the intensity of fires in low and their ability to destroy the canopies is reduced. Therefore, the greenhouse effect in maximally reduced if a fire starts out during the dry season. Green et al(2010) note that the fire management strategy is not only an economic opportunity for the Indigenous Australian community members with the desired fire management skills, but a platform for development to these communities. The fire management in itself reduces the severity of the changes in the climatic conditions in the remote parts of Australia. Conclusion Changes in environmental and climatic conditions result in highly unfavourable conditions. Such conditions seem to be more pronounced among the Indigenous Communities, partly as a result of their geographical location and their impoverished economic status. The Australian Indigenous communities, The Aboriginals and The Torres Strait Islanders are such communities in Australia that have adversely been affected by such changes in environmental and climatic conditions. The implications of these changes largely fall into two major categories. The social implications are in relation to unfair distribution of resources, the impoverished nature of the Indigenous Communities, poor access to information and power facilities, place of technology in society and nutrition, the biophysical category is made up of the residence areas of the affected people, the natural resources they have and exposure to adverse environmental and climatic conditions. References Abate, R., & Kronk, E. A. (2013). Climate change and Indigenous peoples: The search for legal remedies. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Bentley, S., & Bourke, M. (September 01, 2014). Facing reality – indigenous communities and climate change. Interaction, 42, 3, 22-27. BIRD, M. I. C. H. A. E. L. 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Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, 12, 1, 163-177. Kershaw, P., Moss, P., & Van, D. K. S. (July 01, 2003). Causes and consequences of long-term climatic variability on the Australian continent. Freshwater Biology, 48, 7, 1274-1283. Ross, J., & Gerrard, E. (September 01, 2008). Climate Change: Issues Facing Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Law Bulletin, 7, 8, 7-10. Read More