The report highlights that Indigenous People receive less than 1% percent of international climate funding & are often excluded from climate solutions.
Climate Change Impact on Indigenous People
- Indigenous Economies: Livelihoods dependent on agriculture, fishing, and forestry face growing uncertainty diminishing economic self-sufficiency and sustainability.
- Land and Natural Resources: Disruption of ancestral lands and ecosystems affects traditional land-based practices, undermining environmental stewardship and sovereignty.
- Health and Well-being: Increased vulnerability to climate-related health issues due to limited access to healthcare and traditional food sources.
- Linguistic & Cultural Heritage: Climate change threatens preservation of Indigenous languages, traditions, & cultural identities.
Indigenous People's Role in Fighting Climate Change
- Biodiversity Conservation: They are just 6% of the global population but safeguard 80 % of the planet’s remaining biodiversity.
- Traditional Knowledge: Source for traditional use & management of lands, territories and resources, with Indigenous agricultural practices that care for the earth without depleting resources.
- E.g., Comcaac people of Mexico encode ecological & maritime knowledge in their language.
- Indigenous Culture: In Somalia, cultural norms such as prohibitions on cutting certain trees passed through proverbs, stories, and taboos rather than policy papers.