"Indigenous Peoples must be part of the solution to climate change. This is because you have the traditional knowledge of your ancestors. The important value of that knowledge simply can not—and must not—be understated. You are also essential in finding solutions today and in the future. The Paris Climate Change Agreement recognizes this. It recognizes your role in building a world that is resilient in the face of climate impacts." These are the words of Patricia Espinosa, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change. In November 2021 COP26 took place in Glasgow, Scotland.
Cultural Survival's Avexnim Cojti attended the summit and got a chance to speak to Andrea Carmen, Executive Director of the International Indian Treaty Council and member of the Facilitative Working Group for the UNFCCC Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform.
Produced by Avexnim Cojti (Maya Ki'che) and Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee: Andrea Carmen (Yaqui)
Image: Andrea Carmen at COP26
Music: "Lights in the Forest" by Yarina, used with permission.
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission.