Indigenous Communities Face Double Burden of Climate Change and Policy Impact

In Canada's Northwest Territories' arctic and subarctic regions, the impacts of rapid climate change are being directly experienced by Indigenous Peoples more than in almost any other location on the planet. Well ahead of the establishment of climate science in the mainstream, the local indigenous people in the regions had already begun to detect the disruption of the environment in terms of abnormal weather patterns, changed rates of snowfall, and the presence of new animals in their territories. Currently, thawing of permafrost and more extensive durations of fire seasons run amok are altering the ecosystem, impacting food storage, contaminating water and air, and even having direct impacts on health. Traditional knowledge systems previously guided intelligent management of these areas, but current climate policy, rather than supporting the same, tends to undermine them.

One such study by Nicole Redvers, Indigenous Planetary Health director at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, illustrates how climate policies are displacing Indigenous Peoples from their indigenous lands in the name of carbon offsetting or conservation. Her global mapping research documented instances of Indigenous dislocation, such as the Ogiek People of Kenya who were forcibly removed from their homes despite their court victories affirming their right to the land. The same patterns were observed in Uganda, Thailand, India, and northern Europe. All these actions are contrary to global claims of respecting Indigenous knowledge and, at the same time, displacing people from nature. Lacking land rights, the sharing and application of Indigenous knowledge are subverted.

Eurocentric climate policy looks on conservation of land as land without people, ignoring the broad evidence of the benefits of Indigenous management of carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. Lands under Indigenous management have proven to be superior to state- or corporation-managed lands across environmental measures. However, Indigenous knowledge systems are vulnerable to exploitation since they are usually pulled out of their places of origin without complete consent or due cultural protocols, without legal right under existing intellectual property regimes. This uncontrolled extraction without reward or recognition continues a centuries-long history of marginalization.

Current policy responses threaten not only environmental degradation, but also the active engagement of the Indigenous Peoples in climate action. Effective policy must be grounded in Indigenous land stewardship and sovereignty. In Australia and Canada, steps have been taken through the funding system with the allowance for Indigenous conservation of the environment. This is an action in support of sustainability initiatives as well as addressing issues pertaining to land eviction and erasure of culture. Canadian medical schools are also changing as they apply principles of planetary health in education and research, heightening the link between public health and the environment. The Declaration of Academic Health Institutions on Planetary Health, signed in 2023, is a commitment to incorporating environmental stewardship into practice and education in medicine.

Indigenous peoples remain at risk of further displacement by climate policy that is out of sync. The international shift toward carbon neutrality has led to land deals where carbon offsetting creates a source of income for the displacement of Indigenous Peoples rather than involving them. Practice contrary to this effort is not in line with the vision of sustainable development and vitiates the significance of the Indigenous Peoples' role in maintaining ecological conservation. Reframing climate conversation into one of land health and local prosperity before pugilistic jargon will also help to enable wider communities, like the made connections in conservative farm communities in the U.S., to enter into conversation.

The private sector, and insurance specifically, may be a more effective driver of action on climate if and when increasing costs due to climate disasters render infrastructure more and more un-insurable. When one single critical piece of infrastructure is made uninsurable, systemic change then follows. Lasting success, however, requires inclusive governance allowing Indigenous Peoples to assume stewardship initiatives on their own terms. Keeping them there on their original territories, accommodating their cultural traditions, and preserving their knowledge systems are the underpinnings of any planetary health strategy for success.

A sustainable climate future relies on moving beyond symbolic involvement of Indigenous voices towards real investment in their self-determination and leadership. As the climate impacts intensify globally, Indigenous peoples cannot be pushed to the margins of decision-making. Instead, climate action must be based on their rights, local knowledge, and experience on the land. Indigenous-led conservation, land rights recognition, and preventing further displacement are measures that need to be made towards environmental resilience as well as social justice.

Source/Credits:By University of Western Ontario | Credit: Rob Potter/Western Communications