From 6 to 20 November 2022, the Conference of the Parties (COP) held its 27th convention on climate change in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh. Organized by the UN every year, the COP brings together students, teachers, leaders, activists, innovators, and scientists to promote multilateral and collective action to tackle climate change. Hosting 35,000 participants, COP27 witnessed key negotiations, press conferences, and numerous pavilions showcasing climate action goals and achievements across the world. While many have praised the work done by activists and representatives from member states to address the climate crisis, many groups, notably Indigenous activists, have raised concerns about the treatment of Indigenous perspectives and demands for climate justice at the conference.
Historically, Indigenous voices have been excluded from international conferences on human rights and environmental concerns, even though they are among the most vulnerable communities in the world to human rights and environmental violations. Since the 2015 Paris Accord, over 1000 climate and environmental activists have been murdered. One in three of the victims was Indigenous. When attending the conference last year, Ita Mendoza, an Indigenous land defender from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico; explained that: “The Cop is a big business, a continuation of colonialism where people come not to listen to us, but to make money from our land and natural resources…what benefits does the Cop bring when more than a thousand people fighting to keep the planet alive have been killed [since Paris]?”
While the COP promotes the visibility of many civil society groups and activists, “Indigenous people are more visible but we’re not taken any more seriously; we’re romanticized and tokenized,” said Eriel Deranger, executive director of Indigenous Climate Action. As Indigenous activists voice their demands and concerns, representatives from nation-states have yet to take concrete action to aid Indigenous groups in achieving justice for the effects climate change has already imposed on their communities.
Yessie Mosby, who is a Kulkagal activist from the Torres Strait Island, traveled to COP27 to raise awareness for the effect climate change is having on his community. In September 2022, Mosby and other claimants made history in a landmark legal case, which found that the Australian government should compensate Torres Strait Islanders for climate crisis failures. He explains that rising sea levels have led to saltwater seeping into the soil, causing trees to be unable to produce fruit.
Mosby wants to raise awareness for what is happening to his home and show the way the world often treats Indigenous environmental interests. In an interview with the Guardian, he explains that “The neglection of Indigenous knowledge and ways of life have often been pushed aside to prioritize industrialization, or nation-state interests “
“We the Torres Strait saltwater people are so in tune with nature…we look at plants which tells us which particular fish are to be eaten or not to be eaten, we see plants which tell us that this particular fish in the water is poisonous.”
Mosby’s testimony highlights that as Indigenous understandings of life and nature continue to be misunderstood, countries will struggle to enact sustainable solutions to tackle climate change. As a result, Indigenous communities will continue to bear the price of inaction.
Indigenous groups are disproportionately affected by climate change and development for many reasons. Remote regions of the globe, like the Torres Island strait, have already started to feel the impacts of climate change. Day-to-day consequences for these communities are much more serious than those of urbanized centers where infrastructure and money are delaying the consequences of climate change. Furthermore, development projects– logging in the Amazon, construction of hydroelectric dams in remote regions, or even the construction of pipelines– endanger the land and biodiversity of the areas being exploited. Indigenous peoples continue to protest the numerous violations that have impacted the well-being of their communities by corporations and governments.
Decarbonization without decolonizing our perspectives, policies, and practices will continue the cycles of inequality and marginalization that Indigenous communities fight against. This will require addressing the deeper, systemic factors that cause ecological injustices. Decolonizing climate action begins with the recognition that colonialism is still active in our world. Prioritizing economic interests at the expense of human rights and Indigenous freedom is a central legacy of colonialism that continues to shape global relations. Deeply entrenched ideas of racial superiority and capitalist values have shaped the system that is now tasked with managing the climate crisis. Colonization has shaped the ways that climate policy is negotiated and implemented because it has shaped the power relations between nations and peoples. One of the key ways to promote decolonization and decarbonization is by incorporating non-western forms of knowledge, such as Indigenous knowledge, in climate policies. Increasing Indigenous representation and visibility in policy negotiations will ensure that Indigenous interests and concerns are heard on the same playing field as corporate representatives. Cooperation with Indigenous peoples as we tackle climate change is essential to achieving holistic solutions. As countries and conferences move forward in climate progress, it will be detrimental not to entrench the promotion and protection of Indigenous interests within our environmental goals.
In a positive step forward, a delegation of First Nations in northern British Columbia presented a climate initiative at COP 27 that values both environmental and economic avenues that honor Indigenous interests. The First Nations Climate Initiative (FNCI) sent representatives from the Haisla and Halfway River First Nations to present a 7 proposal policy plan that will ask Canadian provincial and federal governments to achieve decarbonization and decolonization in tandem.
The FNCI wants the B.C. government to expand renewable energy access to the northwest coast of B.C. and invite First Nations to be partners in energy projects. This call for action is particularly important since the B.C. government has been criticized for not fulfilling its obligations and breaching consultation regulations in projects like the Site C dam in northeast B.C. and fracking projects in the province.
It is critical that Indigenous groups in B.C. and the world be included in development projects, as they often pay the price when things go wrong. In an article with CBC, FNCI representatives explained that in areas of northwest B.C., the nation’s traditional territories have been “decimated” in the past due to aluminum smelters, pulp and paper plants, and a methanol plant. The implementation of the FNCI’s policies will ensure that development outcomes promote the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples and their land, as well as meet climate targets. The group explained that “…After the industries had left, fish began returning to rivers, and whales started returning to the sea. We’ve seen the effects directly [of climate change], and you can see how we can be a part of it to change these things.”
Candance Wilson, Haisla Nation representative, said that she was excited to present the group’s ideas on the global stage. To her, even though there is a lot of work to be done, “It’s a great opportunity to network and just share knowledge amongst other Indigenous people that may be in attendance and see if our experiences will benefit them as well.”
As the years go by and we celebrate the accomplishments achieved at the COP, it is imperative to remind ourselves whose interests are being prioritized. As Indigenous activists continue to risk their lives to protect their communities and land, nation-states and corporations continuously fail to meet carbon emission targets. For many of these interest groups, money remains a priority, whereas for many marginalized groups, environmental interests have become life and death matters. The continuation of failed climate targets reminds us that meaningful climate justice must ensure the inclusion of Indigenous voices.
Edited by Rebecca Bennett
Charlotte is a third year student studying Political Science and International Development. She has been a Staff Writer for Catalyst for the past year. She is interested in Indigenous Issues, Canadian news, and topics involving feminism and media.