GWG Vol. 14
This week: Indigenous people as climate defenders. Plus wolves in Colorado, and a bot to promote climate news.
Dear Reader,
Pura Vida is a good way to live. Land is pretty cheap here in Costa Rica - if anyone wants to go in on a plot to build an eco-hotel, I could be convinced. I would be more than happy to lead yoga classes.
Wherever you are - don’t forget to let the sunshine in!
Indigenous Conservation
I think one thing we can all agree on when it comes to climate change is that this is a complex topic with many different causes, effects, and potential solutions. This week, I want to talk about one large sector of the climate change conversation - nature.
In prior issues we’ve spoken about the importance of protecting old growth forests, thoughtfully re-wilding barren areas, and supporting the preservation of bio-diversity around the world. From my perspective, the conclusion to draw from all of that is the better the natural world is doing, the better we are doing in the fight against climate change.
In the last few weeks there have been two scientific reports to support this theory.
First, a report that came as the result of the first collaborative workshop between the IPCC and the IPBES found that basically - we will fail in our fight against climate change unless the fight to preserve the natural world is undertaken at the same time.
Second, and what I really want to focus on this week, is a report from the ICCA Consortium that found indigenous people are the world’s best environmentalists.
Several indigenous communities have long used the principle of seventh-generation decision-making, which involves weighing how choices made today will affect a person born seven generations from now, so it is not really surprising that they are generally strong stewards of the environment.
What I found so interesting about the ICCA report is that they looked at the entire planet and tried to put numbers to something that was only a loose idea before.
Accoridng to the report, 21% of all land on Earth is already ‘conserved’ thanks to the actions of local and indigenous communities. This compares to 14% of Earth protected and overseen by countries (think national parks and forests).
Furthermore, 36% of the world’s remaining intact forest landscapes — continuous tracts of forest and other natural ecosystems — are found within indigenous territories.
So what do we do this info? Many countries around the world (including the US and the rest of G7) have committed to the UN’s goal of conserving 30% of their nation’s land and water by 2030 - also known as 30 by 30. But according to this report, we’ve already conserved more than 30% of the planet!
Turns out 10 million people in developing nations have been displaced due to the creation of formally protected areas. This leads me to think that we can’t let good intentions get in the way of obvious solutions. It is crucial that governments recognize the contributions of indigenous people and don’t turn land that is already effectively protected by local communities into officially protected land because then no progress will be made.
It seems the Biden Administration is wise to this - those involved in the US 30 by 30 plan have recently been quoted as saying:
Tribal nations have been serving as stewards of their land since time immemorial. (Gina McCarthy, the White House national climate adviser)
The conservation community cannot pursue a conservation agenda that disenfranchises tribal communities. Their rights and their approaches need to be at the forefront of 30 by 30. (Brian O’Donnell, director of Campaign for Nature)
I think this idea - it isn’t just enough to conserve land, we need to conserve the right land - is representative of one of the major reoccurring themes that makes combating climate change so tough. Nuance is key. And nuance is hard. But undeniably, climate change requires thoughtful, nuanced solutions.
I hope that I have been achieving this up to this point but let me state it here for the record - one of the goals of the GWG will be to try and make this nuance simpler and easier to understand. It’s the least I can do!
Did You Know?
While we are on the topic of indigenous populations, I wanted to share something I learned recently. There is still one remaining, totally unconnected tribe in the world. The Sentinelese live on an island the size of Manhattan near India and are extremely hostile to outsiders. The Indian government has made it illegal to go near the island as the people on the island have no protection from diseases.
In 2018, an American missionary (and world-class idiot) tried to sneak onto the island and was promptly killed. I don’t think there is a real climate story here but their wikipedia page is fascinating and I thought GWGers would enjoy reading it. Also - the story of the one and only woman who had successful contact with the Islanders is a great read.
Something Pretty To Look At
Potpourri
A wild grey wolf litter was born in Colorado for the first time in 80 years.
It’s well past the time to stop building coal plants. Two-thirds of wind and solar projects built last year will be able to generate cheaper electricity than the world’s cheapest new coal plants.
Synthetic Messenger is a bot that clicks on climate news stories to make them more visible. This may sound silly but is actually super important to combat misinformation that is being spread by trolling bots. I hope they start clicking on the GWG!
That’s All Folks!
My best wishes for a relaxing weekend. I encourage you to share the GWG with your friends and please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, comments, or article suggestions - I love hearing from you!
I know it’s a hugely contentious issue…that no one talks about but what about POPULATION CONTROL? Apparently it used to be discussed , now it’s forbidden
Ugh