Indigenous youth must be at the forefront of climate diplomacy
- Media Manager
- Aug 3, 2023
- 1 min read
Nature
Written By: Temitope Olawunmi Sogbanmu, Heather Sauyaq Jean Gordon, Lahcen El Youssfi, Fridah Dermmillah Obare, Seira Duncan, Marion Hicks, Khadeejah Ibraheem Bello, Faris Ridzuan & Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu
Published: August 4th, 2023
As the climate crisis increasingly alters the planet, Indigenous Peoples around the world are disproportionately affected. Their livelihoods, identities and well-being have traditionally relied on lands and natural resources, and the regions they inhabit are susceptible to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall and the thawing of permafrost. Indigenous Peoples are on the front line of the climate crisis, despite having contributed little to global emissions.
These communities have lived in close relationships with their environments for thousands of years, developing sustainable ways of life, protecting natural ecosystems and adapting to changes such as climate variations and human-made disasters. Indigenous cultures, traditions and spirituality are connected to their environment. Invasions, colonizations, land dispossession and, in some cases, forced migrations have led to many Indigenous communities losing their rights, facing poverty and living in vulnerable regions with reduced capacities to adapt to the climate crisis.
The confluence of these factors means that Indigenous Peoples are uniquely placed to provide sustainable adaptations to mitigate the climate crisis, drawing on their bodies of knowledge, ontologies, practices, ethical values, beliefs and traditions that have been passed down through generations. Today, almost 500 million people — around 6% of the global population — are members of Indigenous groups, including the authors. Indigenous Peoples steward more than one-quarter of lands around the globe, which contain 80% of Earth’s remaining biodiversity.
