States have committed to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples in climate action by International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum, agencie   Nov. 2023   The International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum (IIPFCC) on Climate Change Caucus delivered this statement at the conference’s opening plenary on the opening day of COP28, November 30th, 2023. Pema Wangmo Lama Mugum, an Indigenous youth activist belonging to the Mugum Indigenous Community from Nepal, was selected by the IIPFCC to deliver the statement to the COP28 Presidency:   “We greet you in a good way, Tashi Delek and Chyag! We congratulate all for the operationalization and pledges for the Loss and Damage Fund. We demand for a meaningful process including direct access to the fund for Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples are facing increasing disasters in our homelands as States fail in their commitment to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In 2023, this global cap was exceeded, threatening our ways of life in Asia and around the world.   Our inherent, distinct, internationally-recognized rights are affirmed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We will not allow these rights to be diminished, undermined, combined or confused in any way. We have the right to full and direct participation, including for our youth, women, and knowledge holders, in all UNFCCC processes.   This includes the development of a strong Article 6 grievance mechanism, loss and damage strategies that prioritize prevention, just transition that respects our rights and knowledge, and the creation of finance and funding mechanisms that are designed by and directly accessible to Indigenous Peoples from all regions.   Carbon markets and offsets, geo-engineering, mal-adaptation technologies, “Net Zero” frameworks and “Nature-based solutions” do not cut emissions and instead create new forms of colonization, militarization, criminalization and land loss. We call for a moratorium on such activities that violate our rights.   Real solutions require drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions based on the equitable phase out of fossil fuels. States have committed to respect and promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples in climate action. The Global Stock Take must consider all elements of the Paris Agreement.   We commit to work with States to implement real solutions based on our knowledge, practices, time-tested sciences, reciprocity with the natural world and Mother Earth, and the full exercise of our rights. Our collective survival is at stake and our children and future generations require action without delay.   http://www.iipfccpavilion.org/stories/openingcop28 http://www.iipfcc.org/key-issues http://iwgia.org/en/component/tags/tag/climate.html http://interactive.carbonbrief.org/carbon-offsets-2023/mapped.html http://www.carbonbrief.org/webinar-how-can-carbon-offsets-be-reformed/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5431-green-financing-just-transition-protect-rights-indigenous http://www.conservation.org/press-releases/2023/12/01/statement-brazil-proposal-for-the-amazon-is-a-leap-in-the-right-direction Visit the related web page
	Scale of conflict between mineral mines and indigenous peoples revealed by Institute of Development Studies   New research shows that out of 120 active mineral mine projects in Argentina and Chile, over 50 percent (61) are in conflict. In Chile, the majority of mineral mines are in conflict, with indigenous peoples in many cases, who are left to risk their wellbeing to protest against the lithium and copper mining in order to protect their lands and the environment.   The new research published today by the Institute of Development Studies highlights that this resistance against the environmental and social problems caused by mining activities comes at significant costs for the local communities.   It argues that instead of leaving indigenous peoples and civil society groups to enter into conflict against the mining projects, governments need to establish formal governance processes, providing proactive long-term negotiations and democratic processes.   Without it, it warns that the mineral mining at the scale required for the global energy transition won’t be achievable.   The demand for critical minerals such as lithium and copper, needed for electric vehicles and wind farms, is predicted to increase up to 500 percent in the next ten years as the global energy transition required to combat climate gathers pace.   In Chile, the world’s leading provider of copper and second of lithium (after Australia), the research found that around US$12 billion of investments – 80 percent of total investments submitted to the Environmental Authority (SEA) – were contested by civil society between 1998 and 2022, with 1 in 5 (21%) currently held up in the justice system.   Globally, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an estimated 54% of energy transition minerals are located on or near indigenous peoples’ land, underscoring the need for robust and early community engagement. Over 80% of lithium projects and more than half of nickel, copper and zinc projects are located in the territories of indigenous peoples.   Anabel Marin, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and author of the report, sa   “The entire governance frameworks of natural resources need to be re-designed, bringing a proactive and democratic approach to a vital economic area. By involving local people at an early stage and co-creating policies for mining projects, governments can avoid costly conflic   “This transformation in how the mining of minerals is managed is vital in order to move from fossil fuels to cleaner energy. Without it the energy transition will be unjust, environmentally unsustainable and unachievable   The research report makes clear that the scale of the challenge to resolve mining conflicts is vast but including citizens in co-producing the investment policies for critical minerals, instead of leaving them to act as a watchdog to prevent environmental and social harm, is the best chance there is for a just energy transition.   http://www.ids.ac.uk/press-releases/scale-of-conflict-between-mineral-mines-and-indigenous-peoples-revealed/
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