How Indigenous Peoples, Women, and Youth are Leading Environmental Justice
Much like most people, I grew up learning about global warming and how much our world has changed in the past century. From pictures of oil-covered birds on dish soap commercials to videos of polar bears standing on a thin sheet of ice to news reports of record breaking high and low temperatures, I remember it all from my childhood. But, what I never saw and what I was never taught was how dangerously impactful it has had on Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color all over the world — and the efforts of those communities in fighting climate change.
More or less, we’re often aware of how colonialism and imperialism has impacted communities of people all over the world, but rarely do people think of the environmental impact its legacy has. The first time I truly thought deeply about how racism and colonialism intertwined with environmental issues was planning for a student organization event in my last year of college. This was only a year or so ago. Before researching for a general body meeting for my alma mater’s Asian American student organization , I learned about environmental racism and environmental colonialism. While everyone is talking about innovation in terms of sustainability and a better tomorrow in a world where climate change advocacy is more needed than ever, we often forget — or don’t even realize — how deeply rooted colonialism is with the way our planet has changed for the worst.
Environmental Colonialism and Environmental Racism
To understand environmental justice, you have to understand why this movement began and why it’s needed. There are so many terms that revolve around an intersectional lens within environmental justice, but two to start with understanding are environmental colonialism and environmental racism.
In short, environmental colonialism is a term used to explain the ways colonialism has introduced detrimental impacts on the environment of Indigenous peoples around the world. One of the many examples of this is forced deforestation of North and West Africa, where the French forced the removal of native trees to make way for cotton plantations. Not only do the effects of environmental colonialism from the past show to this day, new forms of it show up in many disadvantaged communities by governmental rules enacting unjust decisions put in place like the Dakota Access Pipeline constructed on Indigenous land to transport crude oil. Regardless of whether or not BIPOC communities are targeted purposely, the effects are present. Many BIPOC, especially Black and Indigenous communities are directly displaced and seen as an afterthought to decisions due to modern environmental racism.
Ben Chavis coined this term while being held in Warren County’s jail after peacefully protesting the dumping of PCB-contaminated oil in the predominantly Black county. Environmental racism refers to racist environmental policies that negatively impact large populations of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. Think about Flint, Michigan’s lack of clean water and the oil pipelines built on Indigenous lands in North America; both still occurring despite the tireless protests of activists.
Indigenous Peoples’ are the Solution, Yet They are the Most Impacted
Living in the diaspora, and overall mainstream society today, we often classify ourselves as individualists. We think in the “I”, but rarely throughout the day we think about “Us” as a community. Although we’re connected to our cultural and ethnic backgrounds, we see ourselves as singular, even when it comes to climate activism. While we shouldn’t conform to an identity that clumps us all in one box, something we should be more conscious of is our community. Whether that’s the one around us locally, or the one we identify with, collectively working together to find solutions is the way Indigenous peoples’ have been living for centuries. And, you may be asking, “What does this have to do with environmentalism?” Well, it has to do with everything. Indigenous culture is rooted in collectivist practices as a community, rather than what each person does individually.
Indigenous peoples are responsible for around 80% of the whole world’s biodiversity. From planting native trees on their land to practicing the most sustainable ways to source various types of protein (fish, cattle, etc.), their practices are helping the entire planet. Despite countless studies that highlight practices done by Indigenous peoples, they are rarely credited by Western conservationists. Even worse? The lives of those who are helping land conservation most are being threatened by political powers who aren’t giving the proper recognition to Indigenous folk.
Located in Mindanao, one of the large Philippine islands’, is Pangasananan. The Manobo people reside on this territory, but their community is at stake because of the Philippine’s government. The Manobo people respect the land they live on, using it only for what they need while also maintaining it. Their practices, though, have been criminalized by the government. Parts of Pangasananan are a protected area by the Philippine government, meaning that no activities like hunting and fishing are allowed. At face value, protected areas like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries may seem like a long term solution to conservation, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.
These labels of protected land often result in the displacement, criminalization, and even the death of Indigenous peoples’ that lived on it far before a government claimed it, a systemic issue introduced by environmental colonialism. The Manobo people are no strangers to this, as their territory overlaps with the Philippine government’s claim on parts of the land. These issues pose a great threat to all of us when the biggest protectors of Earth are being dismissed.
China and India with the Most Gas Emissions — What’s the Larger Picture?
In considering community and environmentalism, it’s important to also highlight how Asians, both in the mainland and the diaspora, are fighting against climate change from local to global ways. Back in 2019, the Philippines made headlines after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to send back the tons of waste sent over by Canadian companies, which the Canadian government claimed to not have known of. This case isn’t new to Asian countries, especially in Southeast Asia where Western countries are participating in global waste trade. Currently, China and India create the most gas emissions globally due to their large populations. While other countries and individuals point fingers, it’s also important to understand how they have failed both China and India in helping reduce carbon emissions like promised. In an email to CNBC, Greenpeace India’s Climate Campaign Manager, Avinash Kumar said “The $100 billion commitment promised by rich countries to developing countries back in 2009 is yet to be delivered.” The inability to obtain funds — especially those promised —makes it far more difficult for nations to commit to promises made. Support from other countries is vital in the fight against climate change, regardless of the countries named or not named.
In Asia, who’s at the forefront?
It’s a known trend that those most affected are always the loudest in the fight against oppressions. In environmental justice, it’s no different. According to a Stimson article, women in Southeast Asia are currently suffering disproportionate numbers of climate-related deaths due to gender stigmas held in culture and maltreatment in the workforce. From the everyday conditions faced by women and the lack of conscious representation within politics, women and girls have taken this as an initiative to fight for themselves and climate change. Those fighting are often arrested by their governments for demanding climate action, such as Cao Vinh Thinh, founder of Green Trees Vietnam, mentioned in the Stimson article. Even faced with arrest, groups are still actively fighting for gender equality and environmental justice. Two organizations mentioned in the SEI Asia podcast are Sabokahan and Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC), both located in the Philippines. Sabokahan puts focus on the Indigenous women of Lumad, working to advance the rights of Indigenous peoples and women, with the focus on the Lumad peoples right to their land and self-governance. CEC’s purpose is to promote awareness about environmental rights of people across the Philippines and other Asian countries. They focus directly on the community and the people.
In addition to women, youth activists have also faced the same discrimination for their proactive fight. Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar is one of the young people in the movement who has faced backlash for her co-founded organization Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY). KAMY puts indigenous peoples first in their organization and works to improve climate literacy with the general public of Malaysia. Through a larger picture, a lack of environmental concerns, especially in developing countries, stem from a lot of environmental justice movements being Western-focused. By being Western-focused, there aren’t as many resources for an everyday person to learn about how environmental justice is important to them. By not having accessible resources, it further creates a gap between governmental powers and the public, not only in Malaysia.
Where do we go from here?
Realistically, not all of us can be as active within our communities the way leaders can, but we can do simple tasks that help amplify and promote voices fighting for us. Sure, we can always continue using those reusable straws and participate in the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle), but what are other steps we can take to see community change?
In high school, I was part of a school organization focused on helping our local river and beaches. We made oyster mats, cleaned beaches, and promoted environmental bills. Colleges across the world have their own organizations that directly work with communities in their own towns and cities. As adults, especially straight out of school, we may feel discouraged, but keeping up with local and national government officials' opinions on the environment is already a step into the right direction.
Keeping intersectionality in mind when it comes to environmental justice, or any movement for that matter is important to continue growth and understanding. Being more community-oriented can be a lot more beneficial than you think.
