Zhanāe Dodd: “We Have No Say in the Decisions That Directly Affect Our Lives”

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Özdeş Özbay: Could you please just tell us who you are?

Zhanāe Dodd: Yeah, my name is Zhanāe Dodd, and I am a proud Aboriginal, Tahitian, and Vanuatu woman from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. I'm here representing two organizations: Yumba Balbarapari, which campaigns against coal mines in Queensland, and Generation Justice, through which we wrote to the United Nations about the Australian government's failure to act on climate change for us as young people.

Ö.Ö.: And just recently, you were mentioning how the Pacific Islands are being impacted by the climate crisis. Could you please tell us what is important for the Pacific Islands and what your expectations are for this COP?

Z.D.: Yeah, of course. We are facing unprecedented times in the Pacific. The Pacific Islands contribute the least to global emissions, yet they are bearing the brunt of the impacts of those emissions, right? So I think Australia, as a major emitter, has a responsibility to the Pacific to significantly reduce its emissions from coal, gas, and other fossil fuels, because they affect our neighbours in the Pacific, right?

We need to put an end to new fossil fuel projects, new gas approvals, and new coal approvals, because we're digging up our country, and the emissions are affecting us. Sea levels are rising, the climate is warming, and we really need to put our foot down and put a stop to that.

Our people, our communities, and our Indigenous communities are on the front lines, but we don't have the power in our hands to make those decisions. Only the governments sitting at these tables do.

Ö.Ö.: And what are your expectations from this COP in that sense and what should be the best result then?

Z.D.: I think there are a lot of things. We really, really need a solid roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels. We want to see what a just transition looks like, and we want to see that put into practice.

I think we also really need to see solid decisions on climate finance because, as you heard here in the room today, many of us on the front lines do not have access to the resources we need to do the work we're already doing for free, work that directly affects our lives. We need the infrastructure, right?

And personally, in the long term, I would like to see Australia establish a National Human Rights Act to defend our rights, because that would also extend to Pacific diaspora communities living in Australia, as well as the wider Pacific.

Because at the core of everything we're talking about here today, it's a rights issue, and we need to uphold our rights.

Ö.Ö.: Thank you so much.

Z.D.: Thank you.

_{Who is Zhanāe Dodd?: Zhanāe Dodd is a young climate activist of Aboriginal, Tahitian, and Vanuatuan heritage from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She represents Yumba Balbarapari, an organization campaigning against coal mining in Queensland, and Generation Justice, an initiative that has raised concerns with the United Nations about the Australian government's inadequate response to the climate crisis. Her work focuses on transitioning away from fossil fuels, climate justice, Indigenous peoples' rights, and youth participation in climate action.}