Stories of Migrants in Australia Adapting to Climate Change

The ABC article features exciting stories of migrants adapting to climate change in Australia.  Migrants are no strangers to adaptation, but climate change challenges them to adapt again.

It features actions these migrants are doing to build resilience from climate change and help reduce emissions. These actions should serve as examples and lessons for the rest of us, migrants and locals alike.

The Yang family

These inspiring migrant stories feature the Yang family, who have made it their mission to recycle and reduce plastic waste. Ms. Yang’s parents live with them and help with the family’s motel business.

Installing solar panels has cut their monthly bills significantly, which also helps to pay off the initial investment in solar panels. Ms. Yang’s mother is passionate about sustainability, a trait she acquired and brought from China. They grew up with a lack of food.

Mrs Yang raises chickens in the summer, using their manure to fertilise her lush vegetable garden. Adapting to climate change means building resilience and becoming sustainable for the Yang family.

Manjot Kaur

Manjot Kaur is a student in Sydney who immigrated with her family from India. Her active participation in climate advocacy in school and the community has inspired her parents, who now support her advocacy and have bought a hybrid vehicle.

Kim Nguyen

Kim Nguyen is a Vietnamese-born bakery owner from Melbourne who refuses to buy food that has travelled from long distances. Instead, she used the community gardens to grow and preserve her food. The IPCC has been urging countries to tackle their food waste to bring down emissions, and by increasing her food, Kim is helping reduce GHG emissions.

Abdul Bhuiyan

Abdul Bhuiyan migrated from Bangladesh in 2008 to escape the natural disasters back home, only to encounter the deadly bushfires in Australia.

To read more stories of migrants in Australia adapting to climate change and their inspiring efforts to help reduce emissions, click on the link below: