Our Story

Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) is an Indigenous-led organization guided by a diverse group of Indigenous knowledge keepers, water protectors and land defenders from communities and regions across the country. We believe that Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge systems are critical to developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice.

ICA works on connecting and supporting Indigenous communities to reinforce our place as leaders driving climate change solutions for today and tomorrow. We model our work and organizational structure on systems of free, prior and informed consent and self-determination. By providing communities with knowledge and resources, we can inspire a new generation of Indigenous climate leaders building solutions centered around our inherent rights and cultures.

Indigenous Climate Action was founded in 2015 by Alberta Indigenous women who saw a need to bring Indigenous Peoples together to begin discussions on climate change and Indigenous rights. Following these initial conversations, the first Indigenous Climate Action: Indigenous Peoples’ Meeting on Climate Change was held in January 2016 in the heart of Treaty No. 6, Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). This meeting set the stage for Indigenous Climate Action by inviting Indigenous leaders from across so-called Canada. A year later, many of these Indigenous climate justice leaders would become members of ICA’s first volunteer National Steering Committee.