Q&A: How are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities being disproportionately affected by climate extremes? - Lethal Heating Editor BDA

Key Points Remote First Nations communities face intensifying climate extremes Heatwaves and droughts are stressing housing, health, and water access Sea level rise threatens Torres Strait Islands with inundation Cultural practices are disrupted by ecosystem change and fire regimes Calls grow for climate justice and Indigenous-led adaptation

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are on the frontlines of climate change, enduring intensifying extremes with fewer resources and deeper historical wounds.

Across northern Australia and the Torres Strait, Indigenous communities are experiencing the compounding effects of global heating at alarming rates.

Inland towns like Wilcannia and remote desert settlements face frequent heatwaves exceeding 45°C, while clean drinking water supplies dry up and local infrastructure strains under pressure.¹

For Torres Strait Islander communities, sea-level rise is not a future threat, it’s a present emergency.

Low-lying islands such as Boigu and Saibai are seeing homes, graves, and sacred sites inundated with saltwater, causing erosion and salinisation that threatens habitability.²

The Heat Inequality

Many Aboriginal households in central and northern Australia are poorly insulated, overcrowded, and reliant on aging power infrastructure.

These conditions intensify health risks during prolonged heatwaves, especially for elders and people with chronic illness.

In some regions, power outages due to overburdened grids leave families without cooling during deadly summer spikes.³

Without urgent upgrades to housing, energy security, and community health, these compounding stresses are likely to worsen.

Water Crisis and Climate Stress

Aboriginal communities in arid zones depend on bore water, creeks, and rainfall tanks, resources being stressed by hotter, drier conditions.

In Western NSW, residents of Walgett have endured drinking water sourced from highly saline bores during droughts, raising serious health concerns.⁴

In the Kimberley, flash floods damage roads and isolate settlements for weeks, blocking supply chains and emergency access.

Culture, Country, and Displacement

Connection to Country is central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, health, and identity.

But climate change is altering seasonal patterns, plant growth, animal migration, and fire behaviour, severing knowledge systems honed over millennia.⁵

In the Torres Strait, residents fear becoming Australia’s first climate refugees, facing relocation with no clear national plan.

Calls for Justice and Leadership

First Nations leaders are calling for climate justice that recognises their disproportionate vulnerability, the legacy of colonisation, and their right to lead solutions.

In 2022, eight Torres Strait Islanders lodged a human rights complaint with the UN, accusing the Australian government of failing to protect their islands.⁶

Climate adaptation led by Indigenous knowledge, such as firestick farming, sustainable water governance, and place-based resilience, offers critical pathways for the nation.

But without robust policy, funding, and constitutional recognition, those solutions risk being sidelined.

The Road Ahead

As climate extremes escalate, protecting First Nations communities must become a national priority.

That means listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, supporting self-determination, and embedding their leadership at every level of the climate response.

Because those most affected by climate change should never be the last to be heard.

Footnotes

1. The Guardian – Heatwaves bring health crisis to remote Aboriginal towns

2. ABC News – Torres Strait Islanders battle sea-level rise

3. Croakey – Too hot to handle: climate and health in remote communities

4. SBS News – Walgett’s drinking water crisis

5. Nature – Indigenous knowledge and ecological change

6. Reuters – UN rules Australia violated islanders' rights

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