Two-Part Webinar Learning Series: The Colonial Urge to Commodifying the Climate Crisis

Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023

Time: 1PM PT / 2PM MT / 3PM CT / 4PM ET / 5PM AT

Location: Zoom

Series Description:

Indigenous Climate Action is dedicated to raising awareness about the impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities and advocating for sustainable solutions that respect Indigenous sovereignty, knowledge, and cultural practices. As we navigate the complexities posed by this climate crisis, it is vital to address not only genuine solutions but also the false solutions that can perpetuate more environmental harm and social injustices. The aim of this webinar series is to facilitate open and informative discussions that shed light on various false solutions that are often presented as viable approaches to combat the climate crisis and counteract them with real, Indigenous-led solutions.

Part 1: Unpacking False Solutions

Panel highlighting false solutions with a short recap of UNFCCC COP27. This webinar discussion will cover questions like:

• How can we begin to identify when a solution is false? What are false solutions?

• How can false solutions impact Indigenous communities? How can we resist?

• How are false solutions being presented at the UNFCCC COP? How might this impact communities?

Panelists

Julia Bernal (they/she) is from the Indigenous Nations of Sandia Pueblo and Yuchi and is the Executive Director of the Pueblo Action Alliance and has organized with the organization for seven years; Pueblo Action Alliance is a Pueblo Indigenous femme led grassroots organization in New Mexico campaign for climate justice and community defense. They advocate for Water Back, Land Back, the rematriation of everything stolen from their peoples’ ancestral lands and the decommodification of all that is sacred. They are a steering committee member of the New Mexico No False Solutions movement to denounce all energy investments that prop up extractive industries, educate communities why market-based mechanisms continue to exacerbate the climate crisis and continue destroying mother earth. They have been a part of the Ring of Fire cohort with the Indigenous Environmental Network to help train up other Indigenous organizers on why carbon trading is exacerbating the climate crisis. They have also been a part of the Greater Chaco coalition working to end fossil fuel extraction in the San Juan basin of NM. They are an internationalist with the global struggle for sovereignty, self-determination and liberation.

Karahkwinetha Sage Goodleaf-Labelle is Psychology and Neuroscience student at McGill University. She was born to the Bear Clan of the Kanien’kehá:ka nation, part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Raised by two inspirational women, a psychologist and a teacher, both of whom identify as Two-Spirit, she developed an everlasting understanding of traditional values and an interest in helping others understand themselves. She is a member of McGill's Indigenous Youth Advisory Council, and the youth subcommittee of the Collective Impact project in Kahnawake.

Thomas Joseph Tsewenaldin is Hupa, Karuk, Paiute-Shoshone, and currently works with Indigenous Environmental Network. IEN is an Indigenous-led organization addressing environmental and economic justice issues. Thomas is apart of IEN’s Climate Justice Team, as their Carbon Pricing Educator.