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How is this representation of climate change similar to the other things you’ve read/viewed? How is it different?
The thing about indigenous peoples is that their ways and lives are intertwined with tradition, some of which are intertwined with the environment around them. I am from the Philippines and we have a lot of indigenous peoples and tribes around here and I know, based on the countless of time I’ve spent in studying the beliefs and practices of the countless of different tribes and indigenous groups, that they need the environment.
Whereas other well known documentaries, such as National Geographic’s ‘Before the Flood’, tackled climate change in an apocalyptic manner, in that they would show the bad effects of climate change and how we are heading towards that direction. This video shows us from a different lens, and that is from the point of view of those who live on the land and whose culture is heavily influenced by their environment. I mean do scientists care about who you believe the spirit of the forests are? Nope.
Another interesting way of tackling climate change would be that it explains the problem in such a simple way. In our entrepreneurship classes, it is taught to us that if you want anything to be understood, you would have to explain it in a way that even a fifth grade student can understand. And this is what this video did.
Where do you see the influence of Indigenous peoples in this video? Where is it missing?
The very beginning of the video shows how indigenous peoples treat the environment and how they perceive climate change and how they are affected by it. Along the way, the video mentions that the forest, which has been a victim of deforestation, is an integral part of the identity of the indigenous peoples, and the industries are cutting it. It’s like tearing someone’s identity into pieces, like removing someone’s face and leaving them faceless.
What solutions to climate change does this video propose?
It mentioned the REDD+ agreement, though they highlighted the risk that the indigenous peoples may be shoved aside, as such they also highlighted the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, plus the concept of Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC)
What it proposes would be how REDD+ would be executed, in that both the Government and the Indigenous peoples are working together, and that the Government will respect the opinions and concerns of the Indigenous people and should execute REDD+ in such a way that it is free of corruption, no strings attached, and respectful to the indigenous communities.
Basically, the video is highlighting and proposing that the indigenous peoples must not be forgotten in this agreement and that the Indigenous people must participate in the REDD+ agreement because they have the knowledge on the environment and they would be the first one to be affected by climate change because they are heavily dependent on the environment.
Do you agree with the representation of Indigenous peoples and climate change action in the video? Why or why not?
I agree with the representation of the indigenous peoples, in that it mentions and enlightens us on the dependence of the Indigenous peoples on the environments, as well as how it represented climate change action, I was not aware that REDD+ existed and I was also not aware of the true magnitude of the fact that deforestation is a big contributor to climate change, and thus REDD+ is a good response to deforestation.
What are the opportunities and challenges in taking seriously Indigenous perspectives of climate change? Consider factors that facilitate or hinder ethical responses to climate change, including social and economic inequities, political dynamics, marginalization, discrimination, state, military/police power, etc.
I do not mean to sound absolutely cynical, but what is the weapons of the Indigenous peoples compared to the weapons of the military? There is this saying, Political power stems from the barrel of a gun, in that if you want influence and asserting your agendas, you will need force, be it military force or other forces such as economic forces.
The problem, in my opinion, is this, we - me included - tend to forget about the indigenous peoples because we are not them, or rather we live in the cities and they live in the forests. It is callous, especially with the fact that I am a huge admirer of the Humanities, and this includes the culture of the Indigenous peoples. These are what problems stems from that may hinder in accepting the views of the Indigenous.
But if we are able to overcome these problems, I think there would be a big opportunity in listening to the Indigenous peoples. We have already heard much from the scientists, now it is time to listen to those who actually live there and know what has changed.
If I can use a fictional example of the differences between scientists and the Indigenous, then my example would be from Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy, in which the author blasts at the concept of lazy science; of just reading from the past work of scientists and relying too much on data and projections rather than, say, going to the actual place and conducting a thorough, Qualitative and truthful study.
The Indigenous peoples are giving us an opportunity to know the truth, to know that something is happening and that things are changing. From the point of view of a young man who has grown up in the city, I can truly say that ‘The Truth Is Out There’. It is sitting out there beyond the black streets and the grey skies, where the Indigenous peoples live and breath.
