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This is important.

Via AAP:

Traditional owners and scientists are coming together in Cairns as part of an Indigenous-led response to climate change issues in Australia.

More than 120 traditional owners representing 40 groups have been collaborating with scientists from the CSIRO over five days to share knowledge and develop adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The National First People’s Gathering on Climate Change, which began on Monday, seeks to help communities respond to climate change-induced events such as marine heatwaves, rising sea levels, bushfires and heatwaves.

Remote and isolated indigenous communities are particularly affected by such events, and Mr Gudjugudju of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji, who are traditional owners from the Cairns area, says the event is important in response to a changing climate.

“We need to understand and prepare for climate change now and into the future,” Mr Gudjugudju said.

“We always had dialogue together, between different traditional owner groups, as climate changed in the past. We need to continue these dialogues today.”

The gathering provides a place for traditional owner groups to share experiences and discuss way for their communities to adapt.

The indigenous-led hub also stresses the importance of engaging and supporting traditional owners and addressing the gap, to make sure they are included at the design stage of research.

Hub Leader and CSIRO scientist David Karoly said it was paramount to facilitate dialogue between First Peoples and climate scientists, and build on previous events in 2012 and 2018.

“Climate science has helped to establish a clear line of evidence of a changing climate due to increased human fossil carbon emissions, and many First Peoples are already using climate change science to care for country and communities,” Dr Karoly said.

It’s all about First Peoples having a genuine seat at the table, and the way we have designed this event reflects just that.”