ICA Responds to Trudeau’s Address at The UNSG Climate Ambition Summit 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 20, 2023
Lenapehoking, Shinnecock Lands | New York City — While the UNSG Climate Ambition Summit opening plenary was meant to showcase a new accelerated agenda for governments like so-called Canada, Trudeau proved once again that our colonial state is only concerned with economic gains rather than truly addressing the root cause of the climate crisis or upholding our rights as Indigenous peoples.
“Hearing primary remarks by these state leaders that exclude Indigenous peoples is deeply troubling,” shared Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, ICA’s Executive Director. “When at home in so-called Canada, Trudeau provides ample lip-service to nurturing relationships with Indigenous people, yet when given the opportunity to speak in international spaces, he reduces climate action to economic opportunities—and fails to acknowledge our rights at all.”
Despite the recent 16th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), so-called Canada continues to neglect Indigenous peoples as rights holders in this country. The nation state declares empty words of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples as a public relations selling point while completely overlooking us in the decision making processes.
“Trudeau provides ample lip-service to nurturing relationships with Indigenous people, yet when given the opportunity to speak in international spaces, he reduces climate action to economic opportunities—and fails to acknowledge our rights at all.”
While Canada claims to be a climate leader, Trudeau failed to put forward any real or meaningful solutions during his UNSG address. ‘Price on Pollution’ and the ‘Carbon Pricing Challenge’ do nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) at source, address the root cause of the climate crisis, or hold the global elite accountable for their role in enabling the climate chaos listed by Trudeau himself in his address this morning (deadly heat waves, 17 million hectares burned in wildfires, arctic sea ice down by 30%, loss of agricultural harvest, poor air quality).
False solutions like carbon market mechanisms continue to be pushed by colonial states, extractive industries and other big polluters in an effort to maintain the status quo. While we acknowledge the state of California for naming the climate crisis as a fossil fuel crisis, Governor Newsom’s address went on to champion market-based schemes like the cap and trade system.
“Market-based schemes don’t reduce emissions but are proven pathways to privatizing forests, clearing out communities, and destroying biodiversity,” states Jamie Bourque-Blyan, ICA’s Engagement Manager. “These systems fuel further destruction of sacred lands by favoring industry development of monocrop plantations and agrofuel crops over the natural life and biodiversity of our territories—both considered a carbon offset in a database somewhere, but offering vastly different outcomes for the health of Mother Earth and her original stewards.”
Trudeau continues to mislead conversation, claiming that our emissions have trended down. However, we are lying to ourselves. Canada is on track to increase emissions over the next ten years, relying on false solutions like carbon market mechanisms (and lack of industry regulation and reporting). Based on a recent Planet Wreckers report by Oil Change International, Canada is one of 20 countries responsible for almost 90% of Carbon Dioxide pollution due to continued funding of new fossil fuel projects between 2023 - 2050.
With 70 days until COP28, where Canada will be announcing plans to reduce emissions, it is crucial that this plan includes a complete rapid and equitable Just Transition, strategy for mitigation and adaptation that upholds human rights, including the rights of Indigenous peoples, and a complete phase-out of fossil fuels—otherwise we will never solve this crisis.
Media Contacts:
Rosalyn Boucha - Communications Manager
rosalyn@indigenousclimateaction.com
Katie Wilson - Digital Media Coordinator
katie@indigenousclimateaction.com
To hear more from ICA and connect with our delegation at one of these Climate Week events and keep track of our events, statements, and other activities on our Climate Week page.