The Environment Unit has been hard at work on the “Engaging Indigenous People in Climate Change Policy” project. We are highlighting the environmental issues pertaining to Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse+ (WG2SGD+) people in a monthly newsletter.

Our main goal is to raise awareness of climate change and associated policies among Indigenous WG2SGD+ people. Readers will find relevant support resources in each edition, so readers may respond to the impacts of the climate crisis.

For instance, our July issue focused on the catastrophic wildfires across Canada. Studies have shown that Indigenous communities are more susceptible to wildfire-related risks due to their ongoing marginalization. This risk increases for gendered minorities such as women and Two-Spirit people. The issue highlighted various centres dedicated to supporting Indigenous people. Note also that readers can seek help from a support centre during a critical time of need.

Upcoming themes will include funding opportunities for Indigenous-led climate initiatives; food insecurity and community-led culturally informed agriculture, and climate disaster recovery, to name a few. We also plan to provide information on governance to encourage Indigenous self-governance and environmental leadership.

Our central theme is that Indigenous people, especially those who identify as women, children, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse, have a unique and critical perspective to bring to climate discussions and policy-making. And as you will see in our newsletters, toolkit, and other works, we wholeheartedly believe that WC2SGD people can provide some of the solutions to counteract the impacts of climate change. Our hope is to champion these solutions in our newsletter.