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Indigenous Peoples Hit Hardest By Climate Change

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 April 2008, 15:35 CDT
Biofuel production, renewable energy expansion, other mitigation measures
uprooting indigenous peoples in many regions

Indigenous peoples have contributed the least to world greenhouse gas
emissions and have the smallest ecological footprints on Earth. Yet they
suffer the worst impacts not only of climate change, but also from some of
the international mitigation measures being taken, according to organizers
of a United Nations University co-hosted meeting April 3 in Darwin,
Australia.

Impacts of climate change on indigenous people worldwide include:

* In tropical and sub-tropical areas, an increase in diseases
associated with higher temperatures and vector-borne and water-borne
diseases like cholera, malaria and dengue fever;
* Worsening drought conditions and desertification, leading to more
forest fires that disrupt subsistence agriculture, hunting and gathering
livelihoods, as well as serious biodiversity loss;
* Distinct changes in the seasonal appearance of birds, the blooming of
flowers, etc. These now occur earlier or are decoupled from the customary
season or weather patterns;
* In arid and semi-arid lands: excessive rainfall and prolonged
droughts, resulting in dust storms that damage grasslands, seedlings, other
crops and livestock;
* In the Arctic, stronger waves, thawing permafrost and melting
mountain glaciers and sea-ice, bringing coastal and riverbank erosion;
* Smaller animal populations and the introduction of new marine species
due to changing animal travel and migration routes;
* In Boreal Forests, new types of insects and longer-living endemic
insects (e.g. spruce beetles) that destroy trees and other vegetation;
* In coastal regions and small-island states, erosion, stronger
hurricanes and typhoons, leading to the loss of freshwater supplies, land,
mangrove forests and dislocation (environmental refugees);
* Increasing food insecurity due to declining fish populations and
coral bleaching;
* Crop damaging pest infestations (e.g. locusts, rats, spruce beetles,
etc.), and increasing food costs due to competition with the demand for
biofuels;
* Extreme and unprecedented cold spells resulting in health problems
(e.g. hypothermia, bronchitis, and pneumonia, especially for the old and
young).

As well, indigenous people point to an increase in human rights violations,
displacements and conflicts due to expropriation of ancestral lands and
forests for biofuel plantations (soya, sugar-cane, jatropha, oil-palm,
corn, etc.), as well as for carbon sink and renewable energy projects
(hydropower dams, geothermal plants), without the free, prior and informed
consent of indigenous people.

Specific instances of indigenous people being harmed by climate change
mitigation measures include the case of a Dutch company whose operations
include planting trees and selling sequestered carbon credit to people
wanting to offset their emissions caused by air travel. In March 2002, its
project was certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and from
1999 to 2002 over 7,000 hectares of land were planted in Uganda.

The Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA), responsible for managing all national
parks, forced indigenous people to leave the area. Forced evictions
continued to 2002, leading indigenous people to move to neighboring
villages, caves and mosques. Over 50 people were killed in 2004.

Meanwhile, indigenous peoples in Malaysia and Indonesia have been uprooted
by the aggressive expansion of oil palm plantations for biofuel production.
Likewise, nuclear waste sites and hydroelectric dam-building displace
indigenous peoples from their ancestral territories.

Participants in Darwin, Australia will hear first hand the impact of
climate change on indigenous peoples and how they are adapting to a warming
world. They will also explore factors that facilitate or obstruct the
participation of indigenous peoples in international processes and
deliberations related to reducing emissions and emissions trading.

Entitled the International Expert Meeting on Climate Change and Indigenous
Peoples, the event is being organized by UNU’s Japan-based Institute of
Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) in conjunction with the UN Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues (UNFII) and the North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea
Management Alliance (NAILSMA).

Specific objectives of the meeting:

* Exchange information on the effects of climate change;
* Draw attention to the impact of climate change on indigenous peoples,
their livelihoods, cultural practices and lands and natural resources;
* Identify options and advance plans to address migration and many
other issues faced by indigenous peoples due to climate change;
* Identify international institutions interested in partnership with
indigenous peoples;
* Highlight good practice models; and
* Identify information gaps and prescribe a way forward.

The meeting’s final report will be to be submitted to the seventh session
of the UNPFII.

“Indigenous peoples regard themselves as the mercury in the world’s climate
change barometer,” says UNU-IAS Director A.H. Zakri

“They have not benefited, in any significant manner, from climate
change-related funding, whether for adaptation and mitigation, nor from
emissions trading schem
es. The mitigation measures for climate change are very much market-driven and
the non-market measures have not been given much attention. We hope this meeting
wi
ll help address that imbalance.”


Adds Dr. Zakri: “Most indigenous peoples practice sustainable carbon
neutral lives or even carbon negative life ways which has sustained them
over thousands of years.

“There are at least 370 million indigenous people throughout the world
living relatively neutral or even carbon negative life styles. While not a
large number when compared to the world population of 6 billion, it does
have a substantial impact in lowering emissions. Compare this to the impact
of the United States, with a population of 300 million -- only 4% of the
world’s population – but responsible for about 25 percent of world
greenhouse gas emissions.”

The meeting will also hear how indigenous people are adapting to changing
climate conditions.

In Bangladesh, for example, villagers are creating floating vegetable
gardens to protect their livelihoods from flooding. In Vietnam, communities
are helping to plant dense mangroves along the coast to diffuse
tropical-storm waves.

A brief overview of climate change effects on indigenous people:

Africa

There are 2.5 million kilometers of dunes in southern Africa covered in
vegetation and used for grazing. However the rise in temperatures and the
expected dune expansion, along with increased wind speeds, will result in
the region losing most of its vegetation cover and become less viable for
indigenous peoples living in the region.

As their traditional resource base diminishes, traditional practices of
cattle and goat farming will disappear. There are already areas where
indigenous peoples are forced to live around government-drilled bores for
water and depend on government support for their survival. Deteriorating
food security is a major issue for indigenous peoples residing in these
drylands.

Asia

In Asia’s tropical rainforests, a haven for biodiversity, as well as
indigenous peoples’ cultural diversity, temperatures are expected to rise 2
to 8 degrees Celsius, rainfall may decrease, prompting crop failures and
forest fires.

People in low-lying areas of Bangladesh could be displaced by a one-meter
rise in sea levels. Such a rise could also threaten the coastal zones of
Japan and China. The impact will mean that salt water could intrude on
inland rivers, threatening some fresh water supplies.

In the Himalayas high altitude regions, glacial melts affect hundreds of
millions of rural dwellers who depend on the seasonal flow of water. There
might be more water short term but less long term as glaciers and snow
cover shrink.

The poor, many of whom are indigenous peoples, are highly vulnerable to
climate change in urban areas because of their limited access to profitable
livelihood opportunities and will be exposed to more flood and other
climate-related risks in areas where they are forced to live.

Central and South America and the Caribbean

This very diverse region ranges from the Chilean deserts to the tropical
rainforests of Brazil and Ecuador, to the high altitudes of the Peruvian
Andes.

As elsewhere, indigenous peoples’ use of biodiversity is central to
environmental management and livelihoods. In the Andes, alpine warming and
deforestation threaten access to plants and crops for food, medicine,
grazing animals and hunting.

Earth’s warming surface is forcing indigenous peoples in this region to
farm at higher altitudes to grow their staple crops, which adds to
deforestation. Not only does this affect water sources and leads to soil
erosion, it also has a cultural impact. The uprooting of Andean indigenous
people to higher lands puts their cultural survival at risk.

In Ecuador, unexpected frosts and long droughts affect all farming
activities. The older generation says they no longer know when to sow
because rain does not come as expected. Migration offers one way out but
represents a cultural threat.

In the Amazon, the effects of climate change will include deforestation and
forest fragmentation and, as a result, more carbon released into the
atmosphere, exacerbating climate change. The droughts of 2005 resulted in
western Amazon fires, which are likely to recur as rainforest is replaced
by savannas, severely affecting the livelihoods of the region’s indigenous
peoples.

Coastal Caribbean communities are often the center of government
activities, ports and international airports. Rapid and unplanned movements
of rural and outer island indigenous residents to the major centers is
underway, putting pressure on urban resources, creating social and economic
stresses, and increasing vulnerability to hazardous weather conditions such
as cyclones and diseases.

The relationship between climate change and water security will be a major
issue in the Caribbean, where many countries are dependant on rainfall and
groundwater.

Arctic

The polar regions are now experiencing some of Earth’s most rapid and
severe climate change. Indigenous peoples, their culture and the whole
ecosystem that they interact with is very much dependent on the cold and
the extreme physical conditions of the Arctic region.

Indigenous peoples depend on polar bears, walrus, seals and caribou,
herding reindeer, fishing and gathering not only for food and to support
the local economy, but also as the basis for their cultural and social
identity. Among concerns facing indigenous peoples: availability of
traditional food sources, growing difficulty with weather prediction and
travel safety in changing ice and weather conditions.

According to indigenous peoples, sea ice is less stable, unusual weather
patterns are occurring, vegetation cover is changing, and particular
animals are no longer found in traditional hunting areas. Local landscapes,
seascapes and icescapes are becoming unfamiliar.

Peoples across the Arctic region report changes in the timing, length and
character of the seasons, including more rain in autumn and winter and more
extreme heat in summer. In several Alaskan villages, entire indigenous
communities may have to relocate due to thawing permafrost and large waves
slamming against the west and northern shores. Coastal indigenous
communities are severely threatened by storm-related erosion due to melting
sea ice. Up to 80% of Alaskan communities, comprised mainly of indigenous
peoples, are vulnerable to either coastal or river erosion.

In Nunavut, elders can longer predict the weather using their traditional
knowledge. Many important summer hunting grounds cannot be reached. Drying
and smoking foods is more difficult due to summer heat undermining the
storage of traditional foods for the winter.

In Finland, Norway and Sweden, rain and mild winter weather often prevents
reindeer from accessing lichen, a vital food source, forcing many herders
to feed their reindeer with fodder, which is expensive and not economically
viable long term. For Saami communities, reindeers are vital to their
culture, subsistence and economy.

Central and Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and
Trans-Caucasia

Survival of indigenous peoples, who depend on fishing, hunting and
agriculture, also depends on the success of their fragile environment and
its resources. As bears and other wild game disappear, people in local
villages will suffer particular hardships. Worse, unique indigenous
cultures, traditions and languages will face major challenges maintaining
their diversity.

Indigenous peoples have noticed the arrival of new plant species that
thrive in rivers and lakes, including the small flowered duckweed which has
made survival difficult for fish. New bird species have also arrived and
birds now stay longer than before.

Changes in reindeer migration and foraging patterns, sparked by fluctuating
weather patterns, cause problems also in this region, whose indigenous
people have witnessed unpredictable and unstable weather and shorter
winters.

North America

About 1.2 million North American tribal members live on or near
reservations, and many pursue lifestyles with a mix of traditional
subsistence activities and wage labor. Many reservation economies and
budgets of indigenous governments depend heavily on agriculture, forest
products and tourism.

Global warming is predicted to cause less snowfall and more droughts in
many parts of North America, which will have a significant impact on
indigenous peoples. Water resources and water quality may decrease while
extended heat waves will increase evaporation and deplete underground water
resources. There may be impacts on health, plant cover, wildlife
populations, tribal water rights and individual agricultural operations,
and a reduction of tribal services due to decrease in income from land
leases.

Natural disasters such as blizzards, ice storms, floods, electric power
outages, transportation problems, fuel depletion and food supply shortages
will isolate indigenous communities.

Higher temperatures will result in the loss of native grass and medicinal
plants, as well as erosion that allows the invasion of non-native plants.
The zones of semi-arid and desert shrubs, cactus, and sagebrush will move
northward. Finally, fire frequency could also increase with more fuel and
lightning strikes, degrading the land and reducing regional bio-diversity.

Pacific

Most of the Pacific region comprises small island states affected by rising
sea levels. Environmental changes are prominent on islands where volcanoes
build and erode; coral atolls submerge and reappear and the islands’
biodiversity is in flux. The region has suffered extensively from human
disasters such as nuclear testing, pollution, hazardous chemicals and
wastes like Persistent Organic Pollutants, and solid waste management and
disposal.

High tides flood causeways linking villages. This has been particularly
noticeable in Kiribati and a number of other small Pacific island nations
that could be submerged in this century.

Migration will become a major issue. For example, the people of Papua New
Guinea’s Bougainville atoll island of Cartaret have asked to be moved to
higher ground on the mainland. The people of Sikaiana Atoll in the Solomon
Islands have been migrating primarily to Honiara, the capital. There has
been internal migration from the outer islands of Tuvalu to the capital
Funafuti. Almost half of Tuvalu’s population now resides on the Funafuti
atoll, with negative environmental consequences, including increased demand
on local resources.

Warmer temperatures have led to the bleaching of the Pacific Island ’s main
source of survival – the coral reefs. The algae that help feed coral is
loosened and, because the algae give them color, the starved corals look
pale. Continued bleaching ultimately kills corals. Coral reefs are an
important shelter for organisms and the reduction of reef-building corals
is likely to have a major impact on biodiversity. Tropical fishery yields
are on the decline worldwide and it is now clear that the conditions may
become critical for the local fish population.

Agriculture in the Pacific region, especially in small island states, is
becoming increasingly vulnerable due to heat stress on plants and saltwater
incursions. Hence, food security is of great concern to the region.