USA: Indigenous delegation at COP26 says emissions-cutting targets are meaningless if dependence on coal & other fossil fuels is not abandoned
"At U.N.'s COP26 climate summit, Indigenous voices are calling for more than lip service", 30 Oct 2021
Ron Turney, a water protector of the White Earth Nation tribe, has been diligently photographing... effects of drilling fluid spills and an aquifer breach... where a Canadian energy company finished replacement of a crude oil pipeline... The Line 3 replacement project, first announced by Enbridge in 2014, had been fiercely opposed by Native American tribes, environmental activists and celebrities... [Ron] plans to bring his concerns to...COP26... [W]hile the issues that diplomats debate will have consequences for the entire planet, the lesser-heard voices of the Indigenous people,... historically... excluded from conversations about managing their ancestral lands, plan to make their presence known through groups like the Indigenous Peoples Caucus... Some groups had expressed difficulty... traveling to Scotland amid Covid travel restrictions... "It's frustrating jumping through hoops, and they give us the lip service and some acknowledgment," Turney said..., "but we want real policy change that truly acknowledges and respects our beliefs." ...Indigenous groups will be making a point [that] emission-cutting targets... are meaningless if dependence on coal and other fossil fuels is not abandoned... Native American activists and environmental organizations say they are counting on the U.S. delegation to ensure Indigenous communities are at the forefront... This month,... [US climate envoy] Kerry addressed a conference of the National Congress of American Indians, [said] "Your resilience is critical for the world," Kerry said, adding the Earth's survival is "inextricably tied to having the leadership of Indigenous peoples in our voice." That recognition, while important, needs to be backed up by action...