Indigenous People protect 80% of Earth’s remaining biodiversity. Yet they receive under 1% of global climate funding, a new UN report reveals.The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples exposes this stark imbalance. Indigenous voices remain absent from climate negotiations and decision-making tables worldwide.
Despite making up only 6% of the global population, these communities safeguard ecosystems across continents. But they are often pushed aside in environmental projects meant to save the planet.
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS THAT HARM THE PROTECTORS
The global push for green energy and decarbonisation often sidelines Indigenous communities. Wind farms, biofuels, and lithium mining happen on ancestral lands—without consent.
These “solutions” can displace people, damage ecosystems, and echo colonial patterns. From Africa to the Americas, Indigenous Peoples face a new wave of extraction in the name of sustainability.
Carbon offset programs, too, are being deployed on Indigenous land. Many lack consultation and fail to share the benefits with those who preserve these forests.
TRADITIONAL WISDOM IS SCIENCE, NOT FOLKLORE
The report urges a rethinking of Indigenous knowledge. It isn’t folklore—it’s scientific, practical, and built on centuries of ecosystem observation.
In Peru, a Quechua community revived ancient water-harvesting techniques to adapt to glacial loss. Now, Costa Rican farmers are learning from them.
In Somalia, environmental laws are passed through stories, songs, and taboos—not courts. In Mexico, the Comcaac people encode ecological data in language—naming nesting sites and migration patterns in daily speech.
These knowledge systems have worked for millennia. Yet, they are often ignored in international climate planning.
A HEALTH CRISIS WITHIN THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Climate change has deeply personal health impacts for Indigenous Peoples. Shifting ecosystems disrupt hunting, farming, and traditional healing methods.
In the Arctic, melting ice ends age-old hunting routes. Indigenous women in East Africa face increased exposure to tropical diseases due to climate shifts.
In the Amazon, loss of biodiversity limits access to food and medicine. Women, especially pregnant and nursing mothers, suffer nutritional and health setbacks.
Even so, Indigenous resilience stands strong. Elders and women lead local adaptation—reviving diets, adjusting harvests, and preserving cultural knowledge.
EXCLUDED FROM FUNDS AND DECISIONS
Despite recognition in global frameworks, Indigenous Peoples rarely control how climate funds are used—or access them directly.
Less than 1% of international climate finance reaches Indigenous communities. This financial barrier mirrors deeper systemic exclusions in governance.
UN experts call for Indigenous-led financial systems and recognition of traditional governance. They also urge protection of data sovereignty, so communities own their knowledge.
Without these shifts, climate action risks repeating the injustices that worsened the crisis in the first place.
JUSTICE, NOT JUST INCLUSION
UN Permanent Forum Chair Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim says it clearly: “We are not victims—we are custodians of the planet.”
Real climate justice means more than symbolic inclusion. It means resources, control, and respect for Indigenous leadership and science.
Global climate strategies must stop treating Indigenous Peoples as afterthoughts—or worse, obstacles. They are frontline leaders in the fight to save the Earth.
