Warumungu and Warlmanpa Traditional Owner Dianne Stokes shares the ways in which climate change is already affecting Aboriginal communities across the Barkly Region and her history fighting to protect country.
In September 2019, Jesuit Social Services, the Environment Centre Northern Territory and the Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS) partnered to host the first in a series of workshops focusing on issues of climate justice in the Northern Territory (NT). The aim of this first workshop was to start to build cross-sector networks for collective advocacy and practical responses to the challenges that climate changes is presenting for communities in the NT.
It was attended by 60 participants from across the NT, representing organisations that included community service providers, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, land councils, local government, the Northern Territory Government, industry experts and environmental organisations. It was the first time such a large and diverse group of stakeholders gathered to discuss climate issues affecting vulnerable communities in the NT.
Key themes from the workshop included the importance of strengthening cross-sector relationships, the urgent need for regional adaptation planning in the NT (prioritising remote communities), community-owned clean energy, and listening to Aboriginal people for Aboriginal-led solutions.
Through the workshop we:
The working group that organised the day has since expanded and is currently planning a follow-up workshop in Alice Springs on 5 and 6 March 2020. Building on the themes of the first workshop, the Alice Springs event will bring people together to share lived experience and technical and policy expertise to generate just solutions to the climate challenges facing Territory communities.
Click here to download images from the Darwin eventÂ
Click here to download a flyer for the NT Climate Justice Workshop in Alice Springs March 2020
For more information about the upcoming Alice Springs workshop, please contact Nicola Flook, NT Policy and Advocacy Manager, at nicola.flook@jss.org.au