Green Cross Australia, Queensland

People Power Tackles Rising Sea Levels

$10,000 to the National People’s Assembly – Addressing Sea Level Rise and Population Displacement in the Asia-Pacific www.greencrossaustralia.org

Through the National People’s Assembly (NPA), Green Cross proposed to enlist a group of 14 ‘everyday’ Australians to help decide what action Australia should take to address rising sea levels in the region. The NPA aimed to give ordinary citizens the opportunity to directly influence the policies of the Australian Government. Participants included a student, councillor, city planner, doctor, aboriginal elder, an artist, an ANZ executive, a retired food engineer and a member of the Anglican Church.

The NPA culminated in a public forum which allowed the participants to give their ‘verdict’ on sea level rises and its associated humanitarian impacts, including a set of actionable recommendations for stakeholders, including Government.

Funding from The George Alexander Foundation, supported the public forum aspect of the NPA. The forum included a debate which elicited responses from people such as the Rev Tim Costello (World Vision), Ms Anna Bligh (Premier of Queensland), Professor Ian Lowe (Australian Conservation Foundation) and Mr Daniel Almagor (Engineers Without Borders) among others. The mix of social, political, academic and economic leaders ensured that the debate had wide-reaching influence. Beyond attracting and working with a terrific group of ordinary Australians to deliver this project, Mara Bunn, the Chief Executive Officer, says the greatest achievement of the NPA was the finalisation of a list of recommendations for Government. “This was not merely a talk-fest,” said Mara. “It has given the general public and those involved in the project something practical with which to approach their local MPs and governments.”

One key recommendation was to find ways to support women and young people in the region, as they are considered the ‘big losers’ with rising sea levels regionally. “Fourteen times the number of women and girls died during the Aceh Tsunami than men and boys. This is partly because many cultures do not teach their women and girls to swim and climb trees,” explains Mara. It is hoped the recommendations made via the NPA will help to present a case for funding culturally-appropriate emergency response programs relating to rising sea levels.