Strategies for climate defenders and Indigenous peoples’ rights in the Amazon
Programs and partnerships
Lead institution(s)
Summary
The impacts of climate change are, and will continue to be, disproportionately experienced by marginalized and vulnerable groups.Read more
The impacts of climate change are, and will continue to be, disproportionately experienced by marginalized and vulnerable groups. Responses to the climate emergency (or the failure to respond) will bring societal transitions at multiple scales that have the potential to create or exacerbate inequalities and injustices. They also have the potential to transform society to build a more resilient, just and equitable future.
This project will examine strategies that Indigenous peoples in the Amazon in Brazil, Colombia and Peru use to protect their rights and territories, which are critical to combatting climate change. It builds on exploratory IDRC-supported research on climate justice by addressing key obstacles to its achievement in Latin America. These obstacles include shrinking civil spaces and growing threats to Indigenous people and climate and environmental justice defenders. Simultaneously, bright spots in the region include Indigenous peoples’ leadership and the protections contained in the Acuerdo Escazu regional environmental rights treaty.
A multidisciplinary team in each country will conduct the research with Indigenous peoples’ organizations to examine the following: strategies they have used over the last decades to protect Indigenous territories and rights; the interplay between state efforts to fight climate change, combat illicit economies and protect human rights defenders in the Amazon; and potential opportunities for supporting rights defenders through climate policy frameworks and the Escazu agreement. Open policy engagement spaces will be organized between participating Indigenous groups and public officials to discuss the analysis of those experiences, with a view to building a roadmap and buy-in for potential policy solutions.