Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Solutions to Climate Change

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Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Solutions to
Climate Change
Black Mesa Water Coalition
International Indian Treaty Council Consejo
Internacional de Tratados Indios
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The Right to Food is a Human Right

In no case may a people be deprived of its own
means of subsistence. -- Article 1 in Common,
International Covenants on Civil and Political
Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights
Deschutes River Oregon
,
Ft. Belknap Montana
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Climate change constitutes the single most
important threat to food security in the future.
-- Report of
the UN Rapporteur on the Right to Food to the
UNHRC 10th session

Peru
Shishmaref, Alaska
Philippines

Africa
Tuvalu
Africa
Africa
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Impacts in North America
A study of Sockeye Salmon runs by the Upper
Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance in British
Columbia Canada showed that 700,000 fish returned
in 1993, but those numbers fell to 100,000 by
2005. Scientists reported part of the problem
is due to climate change, which has pushed the
temperature of the Fraser River up by about half
a degree over the past 50 years.


Smoking Salmon traditionally in Northern
California , photo by Alyssa
Macy 2007
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Maple Syrup gathering on one Anishnabe Reserve in
Canada decreased from 20 30 days per year to 2
3 days per year in the past two years (2008
2009)
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The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples

• Indigenous peoples have the right to
  maintain and develop their political, economic
  and social systems or institutions, to be secure
  in the enjoyment of their own means of
  subsistence and development, and to engage freely
  in all their traditional and other economic
  activities.
• -- Article 20, para. 1

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Free Prior Informed Consent and Development
Tar sands extraction in Northern Alberta, Canada
currently covers 4.3 million hectares (10.6
million acres). On February 22, 2008 the Treaty
Chiefs of Alberta adopted a resolution calling
for a Moratorium on expansion of tar sands
extraction.

• States shall consult and cooperate in good
  faith with the indigenous peoples concerned
  through their own representative institutions in
  order to obtain their free and informed consent
  prior to the approval of any project affecting
  their lands or territories and other resources,
  particularly in connection with the development,
  utilization or exploitation of their mineral,
  water or other resources.
• -- Article 32, para. 2

Syncrude's Mildred Lake Tar Sands mine site and
plant, Alberta Canada
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Full Application by States and UN Agencies

• The United Nations, its bodies, including the
  Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and
  specialized agencies, including at the country
• level, and States shall promote respect for and
  full application of the provisions of this
  Declaration and follow up the effectiveness of
• this Declaration. Article 42

• The UNFCCC process
• The UN REDD Programme
• The World Bank, etc.

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and other Articles, including

• Article 8 Right to not be subjected to forcible
  assimilation or cultural destruction
• Article 10 Right to not be forcibly relocated
• Article 12 Protection/access to religious
  cultural sites
• Article 24 - Right to health, conservation of
  vital plants animals
• Article 26 Right to traditional lands,
  territories resources
• Article 29 - Right to protection of environment,
  productive capacity of lands resources
• Article 31 - Right to maintain, control, protect
  develop cultural heritage, traditional
  knowledge cultural expressions

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The three market-based flexible mechanisms
promoted in the Kyoto Protocols -- Emissions
Trading, Joint Implementation (JI), and Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) do not address the
primary cause of global warming the transfer of
fossil fuels from underground to the atmosphere.
Many Indigenous Peoples have also stated that the
implementation of these mechanisms causes human
rights violations in their territories.
Market based Mitigation Strategies
Alaska Oil Pipeline, Photo courtesy of ICC
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Indigenous peoples must not bear the costs of
mitigating climate change. They have for
centuries lived low-carbon, sustainable
livelihoods and lifestyles and are now
disproportionately bearing the worst impacts of
climate change - Tebtebba Press Statement on the
Bangkok Climate talks, October 8th, 2009
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Many proposed Solutions negatively impact
Indigenous Peoples

• Nuclear power Uranium mining waste dumping
  contaminates Indigenous lands and waters
• Clean Coal Coal mining uses massive amounts of
  water, threatens sacred sites, carbon emissions
  
• Bio/Agro fuels (i.e. ethanol from corn, soy)
  promote GMOs, displace/compete with food crops,
  high water and pesticide use are expanding in
  Indigenous Peoples territories

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Forests are impacted by both effects and
solutions to Climate Change. Deforestation is
also a major source (up to 25) of global carbon
emissions
Montana
Amazon Basin
Oil Palm Plantation, Philippines photo by
Tebtebba
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Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation REDD A real or a false
solution? An opportunity to protect forests or a
threat to the rights of Indigenous Peoples?

• Indigenous Peoples have traditional economic,
  cultural, social and spiritual ties to forest
  lands and natural resources
• In most cases they do not have recognized legal
  title to forest homelands
• They have not been afforded the right to free
  prior informed consent or full participation
  regarding development decisions and activities
• Will REDD implementation change these factors or
  contribute to further violations of their rights
  to occupation, ownership and use of forests?
  What will be the long term impacts of
  market-based forest offsets?

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The Anchorage Declaration24 April 2009

• 5. All initiatives under Reducing Emissions
  from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) must
  secure the recognition and implementation of the
  human rights of Indigenous Peoples, including
  security of land tenure, ownership, recognition
  of land title according to traditional ways, uses
  and customary laws and the multiple benefits of
  forests for climate, ecosystems, and Peoples
  before taking any action.
• 6. We challenge States to abandon false
  solutions to climate change that negatively
  impact Indigenous Peoples rights, lands, air,
  oceans, forests, territories and waters. These
  include nuclear energy, large-scale dams,
  geo-engineering techniques, clean coal,
  agro-fuels, plantations, and market based
  mechanisms such as carbon trading, the Clean
  Development Mechanism, and forest offsets. The
  human rights of Indigenous Peoples to protect our
  forests and forest livelihoods must be
  recognized, respected and ensured.

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Indigenous Peoples Adaptation
StrategiesTraditional Knowledge New,
Sustainable Technologies
Using Traditional Planting Knowledge A prayer
stick guards the crops, Rio Yaqui, Sonora Mexico
photo by Alex Sando
Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center (RCREC)
training facility, Pine Ridge, South Dakota
Traditional Seed varieties and methods are being
revitalized in many places
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Indigenous Peoples on the Road to Copenhagen,
COP15, are calling for

• A Rights-Based Approach including respect for
  Indigenous Peoples rights to subsistence, lands,
  resources, cultures, Self-Determination, FPIC
  etc.
• Real participation in debates decision-making
• Sustainable solutions that substantially reduce
  Greenhouse Gas emissions and do not further erode
  rights, food security and the environment

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Our grandfathers and grandmothers are still
holding a bundle to pray for the water to return,
to bring back a good rain and a good snow for the
land, and for the People that remain on the land,
for their grandchildren and for the animals.


-- Kee Watchman, Dineh
Roberta Blackgoat
Sacred Black Mesa
Cheoque Utesia, Thank you very much