How Indigenous women can save the planet
As the world becomes progressively aware of the consequences of climate change, the West is beginning to integrate the concept of sustainable living into our day-to-day lives. However, this has been Indigenous people’s natural way of life for centuries.
Yet despite their lifestyle being among the most sustainable and supporting 80% of the Earth’ biodiversity, they suffer some of the heaviest impacts of climate change. Indigenous women are also particularly important in mitigating the effects of climate change, although their input has often been understated in political discussions.
Their significance is acknowledged by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, who says: “When indigenous women engage, climate policies and actions at every level benefit from their holistic, nature-focused knowledge and leadership”.
Indigenous women possess a unique perspective on the state of the climate and sustainable living, developed through an intimate relationship with the earth. This connection is one that has been cultivated through centuries of traditional practices and land conservation. Additionally, Indigenous women generally undertake the task of knowledge transmission, passing on survival and social welfare skills to their children. Despite their intimate understanding of local ecosystems, Indigenous women are still rarely consulted on sustainability strategies, and their land is often threatened by oil extractions. This has an amplified effect on all the women in the area; while the whole community suffers from their territories being exploited, women additionally suffer from an increase in gender-based violence in times of conflict and limited resources.
Mitzy Violeta, an activist in Indigenous Futures, voices the inequity faced by Indigenous women: “Our pains have been the same as those of our grandmothers, and those of our ancestors… the defence of the land is the defence of our own body because we cannot understand ourselves as separate, and it is us women defenders of our territories who are naming and visibilising these injustices”.
As well as offering wisdom unattainable in the West, Indigenous women have often been at the forefront of defending biodiversity. This includes the Mujeres Amazonicas movement, a group of Indigenous women who protested for a decade against an oil concession impacting six nations of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Their continued efforts combined with those of other activist groups resulted in the grant of a government mandate in 2023 allowing the people of Ecuador to decide on the outcome of the oil drilling for the first time. The Ecuadorians ultimately voted to ban the oil drilling in the Amazon’s Yasuní National Park, preserving a biodiversity hotspot and making climate justice history.
The women in Indigenous communities have also been adapting to changing conditions and leading resource-collection in their communities in innovative ways such as reforestation with gathered pine-needles, learning new handcrafting techniques and implementing rain harvesting systems. The reciprocity between Indigenous women and the Earth and their reliance on renewable resources is a stark contrast to the Western detachment from nature, and we have much to learn if we hope to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
To globally achieve climate resilience, sustainability funding should focus on women-led organisations in Indigenous communities, which has a positive influence on gender attitudes in their communities and the biodiversity of the area. The UN has increasingly been recognising the value of Indigenous engagement and preservation, and this is mentioned six times in the Sustainable Development Agenda of 2030. Promoting a stronger dialogue between governments and Indigenous communities and amplifying the voices of Indigenous women will be key to enacting radical ways of protecting the planet for future generations.
Further reading:
Indigenous peoples and the 2030 agenda
Indigenous women leaders persevere amid a changing climate – World Bank
Inspiration, healing, and resistance from amazonian women defenders! – Amazon Watch.
Indigenous Women Vital to Climate Action.
To close the gap on climate action, first close the gender gap – World Bank Blogs.
Here’s why Indigenous economics is the key to saving nature – Green Economy Coalition.
Why indigenous voices matter to the fight for climate and gender justice – ODI: Think change.
