Montreal – Northern and Indigenous communities are facing some of the harshest effects of climate change. Investing in adaptation measures will help keep them safe, create economic opportunities, and help avoid the steep and rising costs caused by increasingly extreme weather. Many Indigenous communities are already leading the way to building a more climate-resilient future through climate monitoring, adaptation solutions, and the transition to clean energy.
Today, more than 100 Indigenous and northern climate leaders from across Canada joined the international climate change adaptation community in Montreal for the 7th edition of the Adaptation Futures Conference. Throughout the week, more than 1,500 global experts in climate adaptation are gathering at the conference to present their work, discuss emerging and innovative issues, and build networks.
To emphasize the important contributions of Indigenous Peoples to climate leadership, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, welcomed Indigenous delegates from Canada and around the world at a networking reception on October 2.
This year’s conference will focus on equity and justice. It will seek to better recognize Indigenous Peoples’ leadership in advancing climate change adaptation. Indigenous Peoples have a long and rich history of inhabiting, adapting to, and caring for their environments. As the eyes and ears on the ground, Indigenous Peoples are uniquely positioned to lead the way using the Indigenous Knowledge systems they have cultivated since time immemorial.
Across the country, community-led adaptation projects are making a difference. These are some examples of the hundreds of initiatives underway in Indigenous and northern communities:
- Making ice travel safer for communities in Nunatsiavut through Inuit Knowledge of ice monitoring.
- Ensuring food security in Nunatsiavut by monitoring the population sizes, breeding areas, and habitat of ptarmigan, an important game bird.
- Improving the livability and sustainability of housing in the Hamlet of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, by undertaking a master drainage plan and a snow study to reduce flooding risks.
- Protecting the community of Old Masset, British Columbia, from rising sea levels, erosion impacts, and increasing storm activity by undertaking a feasibility study with nature-based infrastructure options.
Supporting Indigenous leadership and co-developing solutions to address climate change in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities is central to advancing the reconciliation journey and self-determination. The Government of Canada will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to advance Indigenous climate leadership and support Indigenous and northern communities as they work toward their climate goals.
“Gin ‘waadluwaan gud ‘ahl kwaagiidang (Xaad Kil, Northern Haida dialect). Everything depends on everything else. Gaw Xaadee’s (Old Massett Haida’s) are proud to learn more from the Adaptation Futures Conference. It’s important that we share what we have learned and gained from this conference with our future generations.” – Kwaa Tsaaps, Patrika McEvoy, Old Massett Village Councillor