Native Climate Action | Radar 2021

One of the largest climate action summits, COP26, takes place during Native American Heritage month here in the US—a fitting time junction considering Native Americans, and indigenous peoples worldwide, are the least likely to contribute to climate change yet stand to be among the most directly impacted.

The close relationship native communities have to the environment is counterpart to their reliance of its natural resources, resources that are becoming scarce due to global inaction. And while world leaders endlessly debate which egregious practices to cut back on, native communities are taking more progressive actions via climate action plans rooted in sustainable environmental practices passed down from their ancestors over centuries.

These communities have long acknowledged that our actions in addressing natural or man-made environmental crises will have a lasting impact on future generations, and that we have a responsibility to be accountable for that impact. And given the EPA’s recent findings that US indigenous, Black and Latinx communities are bearing the brunt of the negative environmental devastation, their sense of urgency warranted.

While the Biden administration establishing the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity—the first federal program focused specifically on how greenhouse gas emissions affect human health—is a step forward, taking a note from the commitment and strategic action of indigenous communities could offer some much-needed assistance in our pursuit of a more sustainable environment and populace for years to come.

All in all, when it comes to confronting climate change, the United States—and the world—can learn a lot from indigenous communities.

Guest Links:

Jessica Hernandez https://www.instagram.com/doctora_nat...

Thomas Lopez https://www.instagram.com/landbackbad...

Andes Amazon Fund https://www.instagram.com/andesamazon...

00:00 Intro

00:06 Indigenous Communities and Environmental Impact

1:00 Modern Environmentalists

3:04 Environmental Impact on future generations

6:26 Ancestral Practices

8:10 Demanding Environmental Justice

15:59 The Risks of Environmental Activism

18:40 U.S. Environment Politics

20:20 Environmental Forces

22:06 Closing

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