EFC Speaker Series – Indigenous Leadership in Climate Action Policy

Acknowledging and upholding the role of Indigenous leadership in climate policy advocacy is one of the most important moral and strategic issues facing the climate movement in so-called ‘Canada’. It’s also one of the most complex, because it challenges deeply held, deeply entrenched systems of belief, knowledge, and identity (especially within the white colonial structures of power that have dominated until now). The processes of creating space for whole movements of people to learn and unlearn together is often messy, emotional, fraught with mistakes, and ultimately (hopefully) some of the most fruitful and enduring good work we can do.

Featuring: Eriel Deranger & Sheila Muxlow of Indigenous Climate Action, in conversation with Teika Newton of Climate Action Network & Devika Shah of Environment Funders Canada as they explore questions such as:
1) How does Indigenous leadership on climate policy inspire more effective action and processes to create durable climate solutions, and what can settler-led climate organizations learn from this approach?
2) What would it look like for non-Indigenous policy work to push for decolonization justice and not further entrench white privileged / white supremacist power structures?
3) What is the way forward as we try to build a ‘whole movement’ where the strategic importance and value of each component within the broader ecosystem is understood by all, and where those different components work together in mutually reinforcing ways?