The climate discussion requires Indigenous leadership — every single day

National Observer

8 hours ago

Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a time for people across the country to come together to reflect on and celebrate the unique heritage, traditions and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
Today we're reflecting on the importance of Indigenous leadership when it comes to climate policy.
That's not always the first thing that comes to mind when people reflect on Indigenous contributions — but it should be. Indigenous people are often at the forefront of climate impacts and leaders in the development of the clean economy.
We see this playing out in our current moment: Indigenous communities are grappling with the devastating impacts of wildfires supercharged by climate change and spreading across vast stretches of territory. Concurrently, Indigenous nations are leading the charge to be better prepared for future fires by reviving cultural burning practices that have been a longstanding part of land management.
With much of the country seized by how to get major projects off the ground in the wake of trade uncertainty south of the border, Indigenous people continue to remind the country that they are critical partners in any path forward. Indigenous nations have shown the way ahead when it comes to the energy transition, developing renewable energy, battery storage, electricity transmission and mining projects, among many others.
Indigenous knowledge systems have sustained communities since time immemorial, embedded in relational and holistic approaches to lands and waters. The reflection of this relationship must extend beyond a single day. It must be engrained in how we think about, develop and deliver climate policy. If you've learned the language of a country you've visited, ask yourself: Have you learned any of the Indigenous languages of the land you live on now? Learning these words can transform how we understand the land, the climate crisis and the cultural survival of those most deeply connected to it.
Supporting Indigenous climate leadership requires moving beyond conventional ideas of co-development toward centering Indigenous nationhood. This includes supporting Indigenous land and water governance systems, which would contribute to more equitable and reciprocal policy and decision-making approaches.
Indigenous Peoples are often at the forefront of climate impacts and leaders in the development of the clean economy, write Maria Shallard, Shianne McKay and Grace Donnelly
Amplifying Indigenous-led climate solutions
Five years ago, the Canadian Climate Institute and Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources partnered to create the Indigenous Perspectives Program. This mentorship and case study initiative was designed to amplify Indigenous-led research that identifies successful strategies, highlights systemic barriers and shares lessons learned from Indigenous responses to climate impacts, mitigation efforts and the clean energy transition.
Each year, we support the development of case studies with stipends, offering a platform for research led by and for Indigenous people. Case studies are given an opportunity for language translation as a way to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to support language and culture, and as a way to respect time-honoured ways of knowing and being.
The case study program culminates in a live, virtual roundtable that brings together a national audience of community members, government representatives, industry leaders, academics, and non-profits. The roundtable is a space to elevate Indigenous climate policy recommendations, uphold reciprocity in participant feedback, and spotlight the individuals and organizations enacting change in their communities.
The roundtable brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders to listen, learn and collaborate in pursuit of Indigenous-led climate policy.
Indigenous governance is power for climate policy
This year, as with the previous five years, we heard powerful testimony from Indigenous climate leaders across the country. Their insights highlight both successes and ongoing systemic failures, including the persistent limitations of co-development frameworks that do not fully account for Indigenous governance systems.
On the East Coast, we heard about the incredible opportunities Indigenous communities like the North Shore Mi'kmaq Tribal Council have to lead in the clean energy transition through community-owned distributed energy systems. This approach not only cuts emissions, it also supports self-determination and economic independence.
In light of the current national conversation around energy corridors, we heard how Indigenous-inclusive transmission projects offer a path to unlocking Canada's remarkable renewable energy potential — a crucial part of building the bigger, cleaner, smarter electricity systems needed to cut emissions and support a cleaner economy.
In Cowichan territory, we heard about the opportunities and challenges faced by a commercial fishing business owned and operated by the Cowichan tribes called Quw'utsun Kw'atl'kwa Enterprises, as they work to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, industry practices, and environmental sustainability in adaptive fisheries' management through a holistic lens.
In the territory of the Omushkego Cree, also known as the water people, we learned how the Friends of the Attawapiskat River are raising grassroots Indigenous voices to protect the land for future generations in Ontario's Ring of Fire region.
These risks, alongside the call to return to Indigenous governance, were themes that were echoed in the stories of the Anishnabe Moose Committee, a grassroots collective from several Anishnabe (Algonquin) communities working directly to protect moose, land, and culture from deforestation, mismanagement and climate impacts.
A call to reflect and learn
Each of these authors' perspectives adds an important dimension to how we address the challenge of climate change and build a better future together.
As we mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, we invite everyone to reflect on the lands they inhabit. Consider the diversity of Indigenous nations, the history of treaties — or their absence — and the deep relationships between people, place and non-human kin.
Maria Shallard is the Director, Indigenous Research at the Canadian Climate Institute and lives as a guest on unceded K'ómoks territory.
Shianne McKay is a member of the Minegoziibe Anishinaabe, a Senior Project Manager at the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources & representative of Canadian Climate Institute Council of Advisors.