Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, and the Global Climate Crisis

Looks at why climate change is so devastating to indigenous peoples across the world and how legal institutions may be utilized to incorporate the voices of indigenous peoples and drive a better societal response to climate change. First, Part II briefly addresses the science of climate change while focusing on the distinctive violence of the commons problem of climate change as applied to indigenous peoples. Next, Part III addresses the story of indigenous peoples in the Climate Crisis from the point of protests regarding the extraction of carbon resources, the current and ongoing climate-induced loss of life and culture experienced by indigenous peoples, and the potential solutions for mitigation that reside within indigenous lands. Part IV proceeds by identifying common problems for indigenous peoples in working with colonial nations and suggests certain approaches to integrating indigenous rights into the larger context of human rights and climate change through consultation and litigation. Part V provides a brief conclusion.