Canadian Association of
Nurses for the Environment
Association canadienne des infirmières
et infirmiers pour l'environnement
Canadian Association of
Nurses for the Environment
Association canadienne des infirmières
et infirmiers pour l'environnement
To help environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) make radical change within their organizations, practices and actions, a coalition of Indigenous and settler activists created “Decolonizing Climate Action: A Tool Kit for ENGOs in So-called Canada.”
The resource begins with a definition of decolonization from the group Indigenous Climate Action: “It means restoring and reinvigorating Indigenous cultures, languages, self-determination, sovereignty and relationships with lands. It means settlers relinquishing control over Indigenous lands and people.”
According to the Tool Kit, too often, environmental groups form extractive relationships with Indigenous nations and organizations to further their own campaigns and validate their image with funders and supporters.
The Tool Kit resource, available now online in advance of a formal launch in early December, begins from the unsettling standpoint of challenging the system of capitalism, a root cause and driver of the climate crisis. A core message is that redistributing land, power and wealth should be at the heart of collective climate action.
On November 18, the team producing the Tool Kit will host a free, two hour online workshop to take a “deep-dive” into the toolkit for anyone involved in climate action. The workshop will be facilitated by Kahsennóktha, a proud member of the Kanien’kehà:ka nation of Kanehsatà:ke, a young Indigenous woman and a loving mother. Blending her background of anti-racism education and wellness, she strongly believes in the healing connections found in community, culture, and the land.
The workshop will be co-facilitated by Jen Gobby, a settler organizer, educator and researcher. Gobby is affiliate assistant professor at Concordia University, research director at Research for the Front Lines, an organization supporting grassroots groups fighting for environmental and climate justice, and member of the Mudgirls Natural Building Collective.
Available for download on Gobby’s website, the Tool Kit is related to her work as a research collaborator with the group Indigenous Climate Action Canada.
“I worked with Indigenous and settler folks to develop this Tool Kit to help large, settler-led environmental organizations across so-called Canada to do better when it comes to understanding the connections between colonialism and climate change,” said Gobby.
The Tool Kit goes much deeper than land acknowledgements. It begins with the assertion that solutions to the climate crisis require the knowledge and relationships of Indigenous peoples, not settlers, and the first step in decolonizing climate action is for settlers to step aside and find active ways to support Indigenous communities.
After initial work to understand the connections between colonialism and climate change, climate activists need to identify and commit to concrete strategies for fighting alongside Indigenous peoples. Their common goal is to transform colonial capitalism.
The Tool Kit includes practical, concrete strategies such as self-education, evaluating your organization, and redistributing power. The goal is to move climate activists towards active allyship and centering Indigenous rights and sovereignty in climate action.
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMof-ypqT4tH9Xt2RxAapRsuneeUyXmqGVw#/registration
