During the negotiations at COP27, Indigenous peoples ensured their presence and voice on the world stage. On November 6, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) presented their opening statement to the COP, given by youth representative Nourene Ahmat Yaya from Chad. The statement emphasized that “climate change is a matter of life and death” and that limited actions from institutional leaders are not solving today’s threats. Furthermore, a key emphasis was on Indigenous People’s rights as “inherent, collective, and internationally recognized” and central to address environmental crises arising from climate change. The statement, and following events led by Indigenous leaders from around the globe, centered on the goal of committing “to real solutions based on [Indigenous] knowledge, practices and time-tested sciences, and the full exercise of our rights, at the United Nations and in our own territories.” While COP26 invited Indigenous voices to the main tables of negotiations, many feel that COP27 let down Indigenous peoples.
The Indigenous Environmental Network released a statement proclaiming that “While there was an acknowledgement of the rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as a recognition of the important role Indigenous Peoples have in addressing and responding to climate change in the preamble of the Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan, there is no other reference to Indigenous Peoples, Traditional [Indigenous] Knowledge, Indigenous Peoples’ rights or human rights in any other text, and instead replaced with references like “social and environmental safeguards.”
Meanwhile, from the United States, activist Big Wind from the Northern Arapaho tribe, among others, had their accreditation revoked after a peaceful protest during Biden’s speech. Wind says in an interview with The Guardian, “This is a clear example of radical Indigenous people and youth being silenced, we’re muted when we try to express our frustration in these spaces. It shows the UN’s true colours.” However, some wins include the agreement for ‘loss and damage’ funds pushed for by IIPFCC and others for vulnerable nations impacted by climate disasters. IIPFCC cautions in their position statement on COP 27, that “to avert loss and damage…the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in addressing and responding to climate change, in compliance with the rights of Indigenous Peoples, is essential.”
https://edspace.american.edu/ceceblog/wp-content/uploads/sites/2141/2023/02/de36ce06-74db-a437-3a01-514a7ef17678.jpeg14402560cecebloghttps://edspace.american.edu/ceceblog/wp-content/uploads/sites/2141/2023/02/3-300x75.jpgceceblog2023-02-17 15:10:462023-02-17 15:31:45Indigenous Peoples at COP27: Critiques, Challenges, and Wins
“The new cross-campus Center for Environment, Community, and Equity was born out of a pretty simple observation,” said Simon Nicholson, CECE Director and SIS Associate Professor. “We have amazing people doing environmental work, and we don’t know each other.” At our launch event, we asked attendees where AU’s strengths in environmental work lie. The responses ranged from Kogod’s Sustainability Management Course, to AU’s Office of Sustainability, equity and justice focused research initiatives at SIS, top-notch scientific inquiry in the department of Environmental Science, not to mention the Program in Environmental and Energy Law, the Center for Environmental Policy, and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking. The university’s willingness to work for change has been reflected in the kind of work and academic journey faculty seek to offer their students. During their remarks, CECE Associate Directors Garrett Graddy-Lovelace and Sauleh Siddiqui highlighted how important cross-disciplinary work is to AU. Dr. Graddy-Lovelace spoke on the centrality of “community” for CECE and highlighted the importance of centering front-line communities in analyses of environmental issues. Malini Ranganathan, Associate Professor at SIS and CECE faculty affiliate, spoke about possibilities to work together across-campus to address climate injustices in the D.C. region. She emphasized the fact that “climate” and “justice” don’t exist in vacuums, and urged us to consider the intersections between climate, justice, and food access. Vice Provost Diana Burley stopped in to congratulate the many faculty and staff in the room who have been involved in dreaming up CECE for almost a decade. “CECE’s approach to attack problems from a multidisciplinary perspective just makes it all the more powerful,” she shared. “Real world problems do not have disciplinary solutions.” Finally, keynote speaker Maxine Burkett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Fisheries and Polar Affairs at the U.S. Department of State shared her optimism that climate and environmental equity-centered planning and policy can improve well-being in communities. “Each of us has an environment in which we are deeply invested in. Each of us should have an opportunity to determine its future.”
Indigenous Peoples at COP27: Critiques, Challenges, and Wins
/0 Comments/in Indigenous Sovereignties /by ceceblogAuthored by Veronica Limeberry.
During the negotiations at COP27, Indigenous peoples ensured their presence and voice on the world stage. On November 6, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) presented their opening statement to the COP, given by youth representative Nourene Ahmat Yaya from Chad. The statement emphasized that “climate change is a matter of life and death” and that limited actions from institutional leaders are not solving today’s threats. Furthermore, a key emphasis was on Indigenous People’s rights as “inherent, collective, and internationally recognized” and central to address environmental crises arising from climate change. The statement, and following events led by Indigenous leaders from around the globe, centered on the goal of committing “to real solutions based on [Indigenous] knowledge, practices and time-tested sciences, and the full exercise of our rights, at the United Nations and in our own territories.” While COP26 invited Indigenous voices to the main tables of negotiations, many feel that COP27 let down Indigenous peoples.
The Indigenous Environmental Network released a statement proclaiming that “While there was an acknowledgement of the rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as a recognition of the important role Indigenous Peoples have in addressing and responding to climate change in the preamble of the Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan, there is no other reference to Indigenous Peoples, Traditional [Indigenous] Knowledge, Indigenous Peoples’ rights or human rights in any other text, and instead replaced with references like “social and environmental safeguards.”
Meanwhile, from the United States, activist Big Wind from the Northern Arapaho tribe, among others, had their accreditation revoked after a peaceful protest during Biden’s speech. Wind says in an interview with The Guardian, “This is a clear example of radical Indigenous people and youth being silenced, we’re muted when we try to express our frustration in these spaces. It shows the UN’s true colours.” However, some wins include the agreement for ‘loss and damage’ funds pushed for by IIPFCC and others for vulnerable nations impacted by climate disasters. IIPFCC cautions in their position statement on COP 27, that “to avert loss and damage…the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in addressing and responding to climate change, in compliance with the rights of Indigenous Peoples, is essential.”
CECE Launch
/0 Comments/in Climate Vulnerabilities and Migration, Food, Agriculture, and Land Justice, Indigenous Sovereignties, Measuring Climate Action From the Ground Up /by ceceblogAuthored by Justine Williams.
“The new cross-campus Center for Environment, Community, and Equity was born out of a pretty simple observation,” said Simon Nicholson, CECE Director and SIS Associate Professor. “We have amazing people doing environmental work, and we don’t know each other.” At our launch event, we asked attendees where AU’s strengths in environmental work lie. The responses ranged from Kogod’s Sustainability Management Course, to AU’s Office of Sustainability, equity and justice focused research initiatives at SIS, top-notch scientific inquiry in the department of Environmental Science, not to mention the Program in Environmental and Energy Law, the Center for Environmental Policy, and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking. The university’s willingness to work for change has been reflected in the kind of work and academic journey faculty seek to offer their students. During their remarks, CECE Associate Directors Garrett Graddy-Lovelace and Sauleh Siddiqui highlighted how important cross-disciplinary work is to AU. Dr. Graddy-Lovelace spoke on the centrality of “community” for CECE and highlighted the importance of centering front-line communities in analyses of environmental issues. Malini Ranganathan, Associate Professor at SIS and CECE faculty affiliate, spoke about possibilities to work together across-campus to address climate injustices in the D.C. region. She emphasized the fact that “climate” and “justice” don’t exist in vacuums, and urged us to consider the intersections between climate, justice, and food access. Vice Provost Diana Burley stopped in to congratulate the many faculty and staff in the room who have been involved in dreaming up CECE for almost a decade. “CECE’s approach to attack problems from a multidisciplinary perspective just makes it all the more powerful,” she shared. “Real world problems do not have disciplinary solutions.” Finally, keynote speaker Maxine Burkett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Fisheries and Polar Affairs at the U.S. Department of State shared her optimism that climate and environmental equity-centered planning and policy can improve well-being in communities. “Each of us has an environment in which we are deeply invested in. Each of us should have an opportunity to determine its future.”