Learning About Climate Change

As part of my work with Moose Cree First Nation (MCFN), I sometimes get to go to interesting conferences like this one about ‘Climate Change and Traditional Knowledge’ that was held in Boulder, Colorado in 2017.

There were Indigenous peoples in attendance from Africa, Mexico and Scandinavia that were dealing with climate change in their respective environments, linked to human activities such as emissions from plants and other resource activity.

In many cases, government sanctioned resource activity that is driving the world economy is altering Indigenous homelands. Sometimes the Indigenous peoples, like in Mexico, were in danger of losing their land and their lives when in conflict with companies and state military. When money, economy and rich rewards are at stake, local peoples are in danger from powerful governments and connected companies.

The conference was quite enlightening in the fact that protest around the world has had very different results. In Canada, we’re quite safe and I learned that equality, justice and respect are protected in many places, but in others, it is not guaranteed.