ICA recently had the opportunity to participate in the Indigenous Perspectives Case Study Series hosted by the Canadian Climate Institute and the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources

This blog serves as a both a brief synopsis of the case study, as well as some reflections that we didn’t include in the original.

Read the full case study here: https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/inuit-knowledge-climate-policy/ 

Before we introduce this work, it’s important we begin by humbly acknowledging a fundamental truth: the contributers of this case study are not Inuit, and thus are not an expert on Inuit ways of knowing. We are, at best, storytellers. And as such, our role is to listen and convey the stories shared with us throughout this process with accuracy and respect. 

Inuit are experts of their own experiences and do not need anyone to speak for them, they need allies who will stand with them. This case study is a small part of a larger effort to elevate Inuit voices and ensure they are central to conversations about Mother Earth's future. Our role is not to impose our own interpretations but to facilitate the sharing of Inuit stories in a way that honors their truth. 

Throughout this case study, we  had the privilege to learn from incredible Inuit youth to listen to their experiences and learn from their wisdom. We like to extend my gratitude and appreciation for Bryanna Brown and Megan Dicker, who took the time to share their knowledge with me throughout this process. This work could not have been done without them.

Intro

This identified research need comes from conversations our organization has held with Inuk relatives through informal engagements with ICA’s steering committee and advisory council. This case study provided ICA the opportunity to engage in a healthy critique of our own work, particularly in the area of our Decolonizing Climate Policy Project (DCP), which “aims to investigate the shortcomings and problems associated with Canadian climate policy while at the same time supporting, and developing Indigenous-led climate policy (ICA, 2024)”. 

This case study served as an opportunity for ICA to look inward on our research methods and ethics process. It is a stepping stone for future work on better engagement processes with Inuit, and will inform DCP 3 and other relevant work.  

Indigenous Peoples and communities have been and continue to be structurally excluded from the creation and implementation of Canada’s current climate policy framework. This violates our right to self-determination as well as the right to free, prior and informed consent.. In Phase 1 of Decolonizing Climate Policy, we highlighted the federal government’s failure to uphold commitments to a Nation-to-Nation and Inuit-Crown relationship, citing examples of violations of Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination and free, prior and informed consent in the drafting of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change as well as the Healthy Environment and Healthy Economy plan.

Inuit have been and continue to be actively engaged in mitigating the impacts of climate change on their lands despite their structural exclusion from federal climate policy development. The purpose of this study was to uplift the richness and validity of Inuit ways of knowing, and amplify the importance of Inuit perspectives in climate policy. There are clear lessons to be learned from the shortcomings of current engagement practices and approaches to policy. Inuit have articulated their own priorities for policy and engagement, providing valuable information and guidance. ICA, along with other ENGOs, can and should learn from these insights to facilitate better, more grounded research and the policies that this research informs.

This exploratory background work has been vital to understanding how Indigenous Climate Action can participate in and uphold appropriate engagement and representation of Inuit knowledge and worldview in climate policy. The goals of the case study were as follows:

1. Develop an understanding of Inuit approaches to climate policy throughout Canada according to their own teachings, laws and worldview. 

2. Seek and support recommendations that ensure Inuit rights, worldviews and laws are equitably represented in ICA’s Decolonizing Climate Policy Project. A sub-objective of this goal is to encourage other environmental organizations and orders of government to undertake similar efforts. 

3. Strengthen the relationship between Indigenous Climate Action and Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat. 

Methodology

As the only Indigenous-led climate action organization in Canada, ICA bears the responsibility of facilitating meaningful engagement with our kin in the development of our organization offerings so we do not risk mimicking functions of a pan-Indigenous approach to the development of knowledge. Moving away from a Eurocentric discourse and towards one that is rooted in reclaiming, re-storying and researching from our own distinct ways of knowing allows us to nurture and further instill Indigenous worldviews. 

During this case study, we embarked on a critical analysis of existing literature that is focused on Inuit approaches to climate change. We engaged with a range of sources to develop this understanding. We largely sought literature focused on relationships between nationhood, placed-based relationships and community centred practices. 

Additionally, we interviewed Inuk participants who were familiar with ICA’s offerings in order to broaden our Decolonizing Climate Policy work towards ensuring that the rights, perspectives and approaches of Inuit are included and centred. Throughout this analysis, we looked for themes of how the climate crisis is described, the shortcomings of current policies, what values and relations should be emphasized moving forward, and proposed solutions.

Why current policy frameworks pose significant barriers to Inuit participation

Throughout our research, we found that some of the biggest threats to actualizing Indigenous-led climate solutions and land rights are ongoing systems of colonization, inadequate funding and supports, and a lack of dissemination of critical information directly to communities. 

Essentially, there is a failure to uphold free, prior, and informed consent by keeping communities disconnected and upholding processes of research done on our communities rather than by or for our communities. There is a clear information gap, lack of funding and access to decision-making spaces that leaves our communities in a deficit, which adds an overwhelming layer of complexity to advancing Inuit-led solutions. 

The path forward

Inuit have taken the time to lay out the groundwork for us in how to effectively engage with Inuit on climate policy. We must respect and honour this work by engaging with it and applying it to our approaches. The path forward for ICA in the inclusive representation of Inuit knowledge and worldview in our work requires that we do so through a contextually grounded approach. This requires recognition and respect of the unique socio-economic, geopolitical, cultural and historical factors they are faced with. It involves fostering inclusive engagement of Inuit at all levels, from all lived experiences. ICA has and plans to commit to this work through the following actions and initiatives: 

1. Actualize Inuit rights through increased knowledge development and sharing 

2. Indigenous knowledge is often seen as secondary to the perceived validity of Western knowledge, leading to its misappropriation and exploitation.

3. The process of centering Inuit knowledge systems also requires that we prioritize relations with the land.

The path forward involves a concerted effort to dismantle structural barriers and fostering inclusive engagement of Inuit at all levels, from all lived experiences. This study served as a call to action for Indigenous Climate Action and other ENGOs alike, to strengthen their relationships with Inuit, uplift Inuit knowledge systems, and advocate for policies that are grounded in self-determination and notions of free, prior and informed consent.

Read the full case study here: https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/inuit-knowledge-climate-policy/