Federal court rejects landmark Torres Strait Islander's climate case against the federal government

The Federal Court has dismissed a landmark case filed by Torres Strait Islanders Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai, which argued the federal government had a legal duty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect their communities from climate change. Evidence showed sea levels in the region are rising at twice the global average. The ruling comes despite a 2022 United Nations Human Rights Committee finding that Australia breached the Islanders’ rights by failing to act on climate threats.