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Prologue This paper is a result of work done by over 1300 students from 17 countries, in partnership with The Centre for Global Education, Polar Bears International, University of Alberta Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, TakingITGlobal, and the Vancouver Aquarium. After weeks of engaging in online activities, national surveys, and climate action projects, students came together to collaborate, through the use of technology, in a Virtual Town Hall to discuss the youth’s vision for decolonizing climate change. From every continent, the youth of the world exchanged ideas, debated alternatives, and ultimately created a document that represents their collective voice. The Virtual Town Hall was the culmination of months of online teamwork, 10,000 hours of student collaboration, over 500 hours of teacher facilitation, and the passion of these youth to engage in an international conversation and have their voices heard.
Student Art
Student artists from around the world submitted art expressions to a Global Gallery that reflected their thoughts on climate change. The writing team has described how art is significant to this paper not as a filler or decoration, but as a way of expressing what the students know. Among a group of people who speak various languages, students found art to be the language that everybody understands, although each piece might have different meanings for each person. In this paper, you will find different art expressions made by students all over the world that have helped the writers understand the different topics.
Participant Countries
● Edmonton, Canada - Queen Elizabeth High School ● Brasilia, Brazil - Centro Interescolar deLinguas deTaguatinga
● Jikwoyi, Nigeria - Government Model Secondary School ● San José Province, Costa Rica - St. Jude School ● Pimlico, Australia - Pimlico State High School
● El Jadida, Morocco - Ange Bleu Private School
● Aukland, New Zealand - Auckland Girls’ Grammar School
● Tema, Ghana - SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College
● Manila, Philippines - Veritas Catholic School
● Hyderabad, India - The Hyderabad Public School
● Nairobi, Kenya - St. Austin’s Academy
● Tanjung Enim, Indonesia - SMK Bukit Asam
● Los Altos, United States - Bullis Charter School
● Balaraa, Nepal - Ramsakhi Mohit Singh Secondary School
● Ptuj, Slovenia - Gimnazija Ptuj
● Recklinghausen, Germany - Käthe-Kollwitz-Gesamtschule ● Lima, Peru - Colegio de Ciencias
“The youth have a huge role to play when it comes to the environment, in that we are the ones going to be affected by climate change, and we are going to be the next leaders of society. As such, we the youth should participate by partaking in information dissemination, and proper dialogue with everyone in order to boost understanding, appreciation, and to widen our horizons.” - Luis, Philippines
Contact Terry Godwaldt The Centre for Global Education terry@tcge.ca
Date: November, 2017
Carrie Karsgaard The Centre for Global Education carrie@takingitglobal.org
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Introduction
In Slovenia, there is a saying – Tiha voda brege dere – which roughly translated says, “It is the quiet waters that move mountains.” This phrase is used to illustrate how those who are silent have potential to make the big changes in the world. As youth, we are often ignored, but we believe that our voices should be taken into account in a global discussion about climate justice. In this way, we may become the metaphorical pebbles who will start the ripples of awareness and change.
In a survey of 1675 students from 23 countries, we discovered that youth around the world collectively believe that they do NOT have an influence on their country’s response to climate change.1 If the overwhelming majority of children feel this way, something needs to change fast.
#Decolonize: #Decarbonize
Throughout the project, we learned about power and the connections between colonization and climate change, including whose voices are included and whose voices are ignored. When we started research on the project, a lot of us did not get the connection between “decolonization” and “decarbonization.” The most obvious connection, which we drew intuitively, was that colonization is linked with industrialization which in turn leads to increased carbonization. When we started digging deeper, however, we discovered that colonization is still very much a part of today’s society, as seen in current political, social, and economic issues, which are deeply connected to our planet’s climate issues. Furthermore, colonization results in colonized people being treated as second-class citizens, their opinions being ignored in current climate conversations.
The Student Writing Team in Germany
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See Appendix: Survey Results
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I. Colonization in Relation to Carbonization
Our entire study is based on colonization as a framework for understanding climate change in a way we think is not always recognized. To colonize is to settle among, and establish control over, a territory and its people. Colonization is the process by which a central system of power dominates the surrounding land and its components. In short, colonizers enforce their culture and lifestyle onto original inhabitants of the land. “Colonization has been a force that divided the world; causing wars and centuries of social upheaval, damaging the economic position of nations and industrializing others through the exploitation of resources, destroying cultures, changing spiritual ties with the environment and creating social issues like white supremacy and racism.” ~ Scarlett Parkes, New Zealand. In many colonized nations, European settlers formed a large majority of the population by taking over the land; New Zealand, the Americas, and Australia are examples. The colonized land was often considered to be “terra nullius,” or “empty land,” as the land was deemed as unaltered by humankind whether or not Indigenous communities were present. The tactics of colonization have changed over the years, from the rough and brutal use of guns and swords to the use of the ignorance of governments and organizations - though violence is still used. For example, in the case of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the US government ignored the protests and requests of the Sioux people at Standing Rock, who wanted to protect their ancient burial grounds and clean water sources. In this example, the Sioux were forced to accept this development at military force. Colonization has had drastic effects on Indigenous communities and other colonized peoples, the environment, and the colonists themselves, even today.
Current Colonization
Many youth around the world are taught to believe that colonization only occurred in the past. Although legacies of historical colonization have left a scaring impact on many communities around the planet, many new manifestations of colonization are currently impacting numerous communities around the world to this day. These aspects are shown in between and within countries and come in the form of political, social, and cultural control, where colonized people lose their decision making power. A case study we investigated which shows all three of these aspects involves the Lubicon Cree communities in northern Alberta, Canada. In a political sense, we can see that the basic human rights of these Indigenous communities are not being protected by Canada because of their land’s connection with the oil industry. These oil companies set up oil extraction on Lubicon Cree lands, which were subsequently affected by oil spills, contamination, and forest fires. These communities have experienced increased respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems, renal failure, lupus, diabetes and rare cancers as a result. Many Lubicon Cree people are now moving away from these reserves which impacts their culture and can lead to loss of traditions. In these communities, the Lubicon Cree people are not able to practice their traditions, such as fishing, hunting, and using plants that are important to maintaining their traditional ways of life. As this example shows, current colonization has many different kinds of effects. Oil Sands Production, Bea Nguyen, Canada
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Effects of Colonization on Climate
In addition to having political, social, and cultural effects, colonization has impacted our climate in several negative ways. Although there are many complex factors which affect the climate, colonization has the ability to accelerate and increase the effects of climate change. Sidoarjo Mudflow The case of the Sidoarjo Mudflow2 (also called Lusi) in Indonesia provides an example of the effect of colonization on climate change. PT Lapindo Brantas, a joint venture between Australian oil and gas company Santos Limited and two Indonesian corporations, was drilling in Indonesia. On the 28th of May, Santos Limited drilled a borehole in hopes to extract gas. As an effect, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, Yogyakarta, hit, causing major repercussions. The well lost circulation, which subsequently caused the borehole to erupt mud up to a height of 200 meters. It still flows today, and often causes roadblocks and other inconveniences for the residents of the area. As of right now, the Lusi mud volcano has displaced over 39,000 people and covered 15 villages. Not only did the decision of Lapindo Brantas affect the local Indonesian people, but it also impacted the climate in drastic ways. Scientists estimate that mud volcanoes emit about nine million tons of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere every year. Lusi is the largest mud volcano in the world, and it is estimated to emit 2,300 tons of methane every year on top of 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The company ignored the fact that an earthquake had occurred the day before and went ahead with the plan, despite clear evidence that something was not right (the mud loss and loss of circulation). In this case, industry disregarded the local people’s safety and well-being in order to quickly extract oil and gas, exploiting the community and causing climate effects at the same time.
Effects of Climate Change on Colonized People
Climate change significantly impacts colonized people, including Indigenous communities, around the globe. There are many instances when these people contribute few influencing factors to climate change yet they feel the effects even more than colonizers do. Though different communities face different effects, the majority of these colonized groups face similar issues around loss of resources for traditional use, lifestyle, and culture, as outlined in case study above. One of these effects includes loss of land due to desertification3: “The Fulani herdsmen and farmers conflict in northern Nigeria recently is a natural or environment resource scarcity caused by climate change which has through drought and desertification lead to conflict between the two. The herdsmen migrate to neighbouring states with lush vegetation, invading and displacing farmlands, destroying lives and properties.This chain of events is a clear example of eco-violence.” Josephine Udonsi and Leleh Precious, Nigeria Other examples of climate effects include natural disasters, such as hurricanes, severe droughts and floods, which typically affect colonized peoples more strongly because they often have access to fewer resources. As our group experienced 2
Mohsin, Anto. “The Sidoarjo Mudflow and the Muddiness of an Environmental Disaster." Environment & Society Portal, Arcadia Spring 2017, no. 5. Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/7767 3 https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-desertification.php
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personally, natural disasters have been happening more often. Recently, a record number of hurricanes happened in the Atlantic ocean, which puts 2017 in the top ten years with major hurricanes in the past 150 years. In Costa Rica, September 2017 had the highest rainfall ever recorded. Consequently, the streets were flooded and the students from there were not able to connect with the students in Canada for an investigation via video conference. Although natural disasters like these have an impact on everyone, they have a larger effect on Indigenous communities as it impacts culture, heritage and lifestyle.
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II. Climate Justice and Decolonization
Climate justice and decolonization go hand in hand, as climate change is an ethical and political issue, as opposed to a purely environmental one. We have discovered that often, governments ignore the input of colonized people and in some cases disregard their claims altogether. Without realizing the power of colonized people and working with them to solve issues, climate justice cannot be reached.
What is decolonization?
Decolonization is the act or process of eliminating colonialism or freeing from colonial status4. We all have the right to be heard and we must take into consideration colonized people, who have typically been ignored or repressed. Thus: “decolonize.” “Indigenous people and their communities, and other local communities, have a vital role in environmental management and development because of their knowledge and traditional practices. States should recognize and duly support their identity, culture, and interests and enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development.” Principle 22, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992
Learning from Indigenous Climate Action - A Case Study of the Gaia Foundation
When discussing climate change in relation to colonized people, we collectively discovered that colonized groups don’t necessarily require or desire “help,” as this promotes a sense of dependence on colonizers. Instead, we realized that such people want to be respected and given the ability to speak up and be heard as they themselves have the knowledge and ability to fight for what they want. This is key to addressing climate change, because without encouraging free input from all groups, we are disregarding or rather missing out on key information to help us all deal with climate change in a just way. In this section we tell the story of Indigenous people some of us met who are taking climate change into their own hands while rebuilding their community. In Costa Rica, students working on the “Decarbonize: Decolonize” project had the opportunity to visit the Terraba Indigenous community in order to learn from them and talk to them about climate change. During their visit, the Térraba people mentioned that they were working on a project called “Senderos de Paz” with the help of a foundation called the Gaia Foundation. “Senderos de Paz,” which means peace paths, is a project about reforestation throughout the Indigenous communities in Costa Rica. The Térraba are working to create a path that connects the different Indigenous communities, so that they can support each other. They are also working together to replant areas that had been deforested by non-Indigenous people. To fund this project, they are using carbon offsetting. Though we recognize that carbon offsetting can be a problem in some cases, it is working for the Térraba. This is part of a national program in which all the citizens that sign the “Mother Earth Agreement” compromise to calculate and offset their carbon footprint every year, to reach the carbon-neutral national goal. The Térraba, along with some representatives of the Gaia Foundation, have been meeting with 4
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/decolonization
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the government in Costa Rica in order to communicate the “Senderos de Paz” agreement already signed by the president and declared to be as of National Interest. This is just one example of an Indigenous community taking action to achieve climate justice. This example displays Indigenous independence and encourages the process of decolonization and recognition of Indigenous power.
#DECARBONIZE #DECOLONIZE, Pimlico High School Class,, Australia
Decolonizing International Climate Policy - A Case Study of the Paris Agreement
The importance of recognizing colonization and addressing the needs of colonized and Indigenous people in policy decisions is greatly needed. The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance starting in the year 2020. Although we are mainly in favour of the Agreement, we noted with concern the apparent lack of commitment to the rights of Indigenous people in the Agreement5. Paragraph 135 of the Agreement establishes a platform for the exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices on mitigation and adaptation in a holistic and integrated manner, as it gives Indigenous people a voice, which they sorely need. However, the interests of Indigenous peoples to be rather wanting in the Agreement, with their rights relegated to the purely aspirational preamble of the Agreement. Strengthening the ownership rights of the Indigenous people to their land should take priority. We encourage governments to recognize Indigenous land rights and include tribal input in national action plans, which is currently not the case for 167 of 188 nations in the Paris Agreement.
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https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/textreferences_ips_adopted_paris_agreement.pdf
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Decolonizing Decarbonization - A Case Study on Dams in Kenya
The use of renewable energy sources over non-renewable energy sources, such as coal, have many advantages. Renewable energy resources are defined as resources that are constantly replenished and will never run out, such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen, hydropower, and ocean tides. Renewable energy sources differ from non-renewable energy sources, such as fossil fuels, which are finite resources that will not only run out eventually, but can be damaging to the environment when extracted. However, despite all these benefits, we need to be careful that we do not further colonize people when taking advantage of these sources. Just like all things in life, renewable sources of energy come with their own “pros” and “cons.” Some renewable sources of energy require land in order to be developed, and in some cases, this land belongs to communities who end up being overtaken or displaced in the process of acquiring energy. Gibe III dam Turkana, Kenya One example includes hydroelectric dams. The Gibe III dam was supposed to increase the amount of energy available to Ethiopians. The Gibe III dam is a $1.8 billion dollar hydroelectric dam that is 243 metres high. Once fully commissioned, it will be the third largest hydroelectric dam in Africa with a power output of 6,500 gigawatt hours/year. Although the dam was built by the Ethiopian government on an Ethiopian lake, it has negatively affected the Ngiturkan or Turkana people of Kenya. Many local and international environmental groups have criticized the project's environmental and social impact assessment as insufficient. The UN’s World Heritage Committee has called on the Ethiopian government to “immediately halt all construction” on the project due to several sites that have universal cultural and ecological value. The trouble with the Gibe III dam is that the Omo River is the main source of water for Lake Turkana. Lake Turkana is in the Kenyan Rift Valley in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. Lake dimensions have always been variable, but in recent years Lake Turkana levels have dropped by as much as 10 metres due to the effects of the Gibe III dam on the lake’s water source. Tensions regarding the disappearing lake lead to many problems, such as violence between communities living on opposite sides of the lake, food insecurity for the Turkana people, and the loss of tourism in the area because of reduced lake biodiversity. The government of Kenya previously passed a resolution in August 2011 to halt the dam, but since then have urged communities to start fishing in other lakes and/or to move away. After examining this case, we argue that governments should fully assess who will gain and who will lose when implementing renewable energy projects. Politicians should ask themselves whether they are solving one problem by creating another one.
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III. Youth Perspective on Decolonizing Climate Education
We, as a diverse group, come from all over the world and have different perspectives on how we might address climate change. Some of us come from colonized countries and communities, some from countries that colonize, and others from countries that include a blend. Together, we as students are concerned with what our education systems can do to inform future generations about climate change and help us take informed action. We initially sat down and brainstormed what teachers and education systems could do to help us #Decarbonize: #Decolonize. We came up with ideas like integrating climate change into all subjects, incorporating climate activities into school practices, and requiring mandatory hours of community service for all students. We also came up with some action plans for students that included using social media as a tool for spreading climate awareness, asking governments to improve public transportation services, and switching energy sources. While these are all good ideas, we came to realize that we had not fully included all communities in these action plans since some wouldn’t be able to decarbonize and decolonize using these methods. As a more specific example, we discussed recommending the elimination of single use water bottles, but then we realized that many people in the world rely on bottled water, and so we cannot recommend such simple solutions. While those of us who have clean drinking water can (and should) quit using these bottles, we also need to consider other options. For instance, some companies are developing water bottles made of algae extract that could be used in places that require water. In the meantime, we need to put effort into ensuring all people have access to clean water. Everyone can contribute to climate justice, but what we learned about colonization showed us that not all people have the same capacities to address climate issues equally. Instead, our actions are influenced by our local contexts, including our locations and relative power within society. Means of addressing a single issue will vary according to our positions. Teachers need to consider with us what it means to decarbonize and decolonize at the same time, and this is not a simple process. Some questions teachers could consider include: ● What impact does colonization have on climate change at a local, national, and global level? ● Who is being listened to and who is being ignored when we learn about climate change? What can we learn from people who are typically ignored? ● How do we work with rather than for marginalized people when addressing climate change? ● Do our solutions create further problems for particular people? i.e. are there negative impacts of implementing clean energy? ● How can your classroom decolonize their thinking about climate change? ● What does this mean for your students’ climate involvement?
“A more inclusive education system is needed for the benefit of Indigenous peoples, where their rights, roles, and responsibilities as legitimate citizens of their country are properly highlighted.” - Nepalese students
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Conclusion This piece of art has become a personal favorite amongst the participating students in recent months. It was submitted by a student from Bullis Charter School in California, USA. It can be viewed in two different ways: 1. The current decision makers looking back at the mess they’ve made, the chaos they’ve left behind, no longer able to do anything about the situation. 2. The future decision makers (the youth) looking forward in the mess left behind by those who came before them Either way, the person is still, not having jumped into action to save the burning buildings. Not having taken action to save the planet for the children and youth who inherit it. That stillness is the aim of this paper. To tell the youth and all people of the world that they have the power not just to look at the fire before them but to take action to cool the fire. The collaborating students came to a conclusion that in order for decarbonizing to be effective and long-lasting, decolonization has to take place at the same time. The title of our project is Decarbonize: Decolonize, this choice in grammar having a deeper meaning than you may believe. We chose to use a colon rather than a comma or period to show that decarbonizing doesn’t come before decolonizing but with it for climate justice.
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Appendix: Survey Results
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