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Report from Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change

Climate Change And Indigenous Peoples: Second Edition,  Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources, 14 June 2010, The severity of the impacts of climate change and mitigation processes on indigenous peoples and the complex negotiating processes around climate change compels us to have a basic understanding of climate change and the policies and actions being taken to address it.

We, indigenous peoples, have long observed and adapted to the climatic changes in our communities for tens of thousands of years. Because of our sustainable lifestyles and our struggles against deforestation and against oil and gas extraction, we have significantly contributed in keeping gigatonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the ground and in the trees. However, the extent and magnitude of present-day climate change seriously challenges our capacities to cope and adapt. Many of the environmental challenges we face, be these climate change, pollution, environmental degradation, etc., are caused not by our own actions but mainly by the dominant societies in developed countries, who are incessantly pursuing a development path of unsustainable production and consumption.

Climate change is the biggest proof that this dominant development model is unsustainable and therefore needs to be changed. International cooperation and solidarity to support our adaptation initiatives and to strengthen our contributions to climate change mitigation is crucial.

Unfortunately, we have been excluded from the negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol and even in the discussions and its implementation at the national level. We believe that, given the opportunity, we can contribute substantially to the discussions and decisions made on climate change policies and actions not only at the national level but also at the global level. We also believe that the recently-adopted United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples should be the overarching framework upon which climate actions and policies as these relate to indigenous peoples should be based.

It is in this light that Tebtebba prepared this “Guide on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change.” ………..nce the Post-Bali negotiations to Copenhagen (2009) and beyond?”Download the entire report here (.pdf).

Climate Change And Indigenous Peoples: Second Edition – Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources

June 15, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, indigenous issues | climate change, global warming, indigenous