Issues Surrounding Eco-friendly Strategies

In the ongoing global conversation about addressing the climate crisis, a contentious topic has emerged: nature-based solutions. This approach, which focuses on protecting key ecosystems to sequester and store carbon and conserve biodiversity in forests, wetlands, and rivers, has come under fire from Indigenous leaders who argue that it overlooks their rights and knowledge.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) devoted a significant amount of space to nature-based solutions in its latest assessment report. However, Indigenous advocates contend that the idea of nature-based solutions takes an Indigenous framework and mutates it into something harmful.

One of the key critics is Ashish Kothari, founder-member of Indian environmental group Kalpavriksh. Kothari argues that nature-based solutions must be implemented within an ecological and scientifically sound lens, but also with respect for Indigenous rights and knowledge. He emphasizes the importance of local community governance in the success of nature-based solutions and criticizes the imposition of state-centered or corporate-centered approaches over local ones.

Thomas Joseph, a carbon educator organizer with Indigenous Environmental Network, calls for an end to the relationship between government leaders and the fossil fuel industry. He stresses the importance of community self-determination in the health and strength of communities and their environments. Joseph argues that nature-based solutions encourage polluters to continue their dirty business, instead of stopping carbon pollution.

Eriel Deranger, the executive director of Indigenous Climate Action, shares similar concerns. She criticizes nature-based solutions as a polluter-pay mechanism that allows companies to continue contributing to climate change while appearing to help solve it.

The criticism extends beyond the actions of specific companies. The phrase "nature-based solutions" is criticized as misleading and romanticizing nature while ignoring its stewards and placing a price upon it. This criticism is not without basis, as research reminds us that Indigenous people help ecosystems thrive.

The attention on the carbon storing potential of nature ignores what's most urgent in the climate fight: the end of fossil fuels. This sentiment is echoed by Indigenous advocates who argue that more protections of nature should be coupled with the recognition of their land and cultural rights.

The history of this movement can be traced back to 1992, when about 400 Indigenous people gathered near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to declare their commitment to the Earth. Since then, Indigenous people have been calling for more protections of nature alongside the recognition of their land and cultural rights.

However, the implementation of nature-based solutions has not always been beneficial for Indigenous and local communities. Across the globe, the creation of protected areas sometimes push these communities off their land or prevent them from accessing resources, food, and medicine they once gathered from the land.

This is evident in the case of the Baiga tribe in India, where Survival International, a human rights group, has documented their suffering after foreign tree-planting campaigns entered the region.

As the conversation around nature-based solutions continues, it is crucial to listen to the voices of Indigenous leaders and respect their rights and knowledge in the pursuit of a sustainable future.

Contributions to this article were made by Andrea Polanco, The Frontline Fulbright Fellow.