Turtle Talk

M. Alexander Pearl has published “Green Colonialism: Sidelined While on the Front Lines” in the Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law.

An excerpt:

Environmental law and policy in the United States has historically ignored Native Nations as stakeholders or rights holders, thereby sidelining those Nations and forcing them to function as protestors rather than participants. This is a foundational error that tarnishes the otherwise well-intended policy underlying environmental protection of any sort. Both the international community and international rights associated with climate change must avoid these early missteps. There are additional benefits to treating Indigenous peoples as more than simply interest groups. In so many ways, Indigenous peoples represent the drivers and implementers of policy and contribute invaluable traditional ecological knowledge in understanding the interdependency and interconnectedness of the environment and communities. Across the globe, Indigenous peoples are on the front lines suffering from the effects of climate change, and they should have the opportunity to take a leading role in developing and protecting the newly identified U.N. Right to a Healthy Environment.