A Wisdom Keepers Delegation

Azerbaijan, Baku - November 23, 2024

 

COP29 is coming to a close, and Sheelah Bearfoot, who is Chiricahua Apache, has said that the process and the result has been a failure. “This text proves that those representing overdeveloped nations & colonial states have no shame or empathy; greed and cruelty completely and utterly replaced that.” She continues, “Proposing 300 billion by 2035 is change between the couch cushions compared to the 5 trillion we are demanding which is still less than the 17 trillion we really need. The absence of a human rights framework or rights of Indigenous Peoples makes it clear that they intend to continue financial colonization and expect us to be grateful for it. They forget this isn't charity; these are debts that Indigenous Peoples and the Global South are owed.”

 

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As Sheelah noted the needs of Indigenous People have been largely left out of the decisions. WHAIA - Sonic Weaver of Aotearoa reflects on the disingenuous engagement of indigenous people at COP29, “UN Delegates and Attendees enjoy seeing and feeling the energy of Indigenous People walking the halls, however we are here to  participate on panels and be a strong voice on policy. Whilst a photo opportunity is a shared moment with our people in regalia, when it comes to inclusion in the actual outcomes we are a missing link in the negotiations. We need a prominent seat at the table, and our issues need to be acknowledged and acted upon”

 

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This outcome also reflects the prioritization of the world’s financial resources. Aya Khourshid, who is a Palestinian Egyptian explains,“What you choose to allocate money for is a reflection of your value system—it shows what you prioritize and how much you value it. Debt is deliberately created to generate money that fuels military and warfare, perpetuating systems of power through the extraction of natural resources and exploitation of cheap labor in the majority world. We are choosing killing and exploitation over care consistently, and this outcome reflects that.” She adds, “ The new text demonstrates that the current system is designed to ensure that the Global Majority and Indigenous peoples always remain vulnerable. Power and wealth are not to be shared but rather hoarded, The trust has been broken, and this text undermines the entire multilateral process.”

 

  

“Our delegation put out a policy platform early this year for what we wanted to see as outcomes of COP29,” says Jacob Johns, a Hopi Akimel O’otham Community Supported Organizer based in Spokane, Washington. “We needed to see a commitment for Indigenous People to directly access climate finance, which comes with a respect for Indigenous Sovereignty. There needs to be a specific platform to advocate and provide capacity building for Indigenous People to achieve a Just Transition. Finally, we called for a shift to a post-growth economy to keep climate chaos under control.”

 

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"It's deeply concerning that leaders from major polluting countries have been less than ambitious from COP29, whilst the fossil fuel lobby has become the fourth-largest delegation, with over 1,700 lobbyists in Baku. We can’t wait for global political leaders to take climate action and end extractive petro-masculine systems. It falls on grassroots movements, Indigenous leaders, and youth communities to push beyond Net Zero - Towards Real Zero - and hold the world accountable for ending the fossil fuel era,” says Bodhi Patil, a GenZ Ocean-Climate Solutionist. 

 

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“The road to COP30 in Belem, Brazil should embrace “cognitive justice” - the right of all knowledge systems - particularly those which have sustained the environment for millenia - to co-exist in the negotiations.  There needs to be greater emphasis on the participation and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and their wisdom,” says Rutendo Ngara. “ We also need to see bolder action to address the climate crisis at scale and to protect Indigenous Communities.”

 

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Jhajayra Idalia Machoa Mendúa, an environmental defender from Ecuador, is attending COP30 in Brazil. She has been defending her lands from the extraction of petrochemical companies. Her uncle was murdered because he was fighting these extractive companies, and after he died she took his place. “COP30 must put a stop to the murder of my relatives at home and in other communities. Not only are our people dying, this leads to  the death of the planet. The COP must take steps to protect defenders like myself from large corporations that want to destroy the land for profit while worsening the climate crisis. We are defending our homes, which depends on the health of nature to create a better world,” she says, “not them.”

 

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“We plan to show up in full force and push what we need to see from our leaders in Belém,” says Johns. “Failing is not an option, and we will do everything in our power inside and outside of COP to build the world we need for Indigenous People.”