Indigenous groups that have traveled to Glasgow for the crucial COP26 summit have said they will not look to their colonizers for answers to the climate emergency, hitting out at the world leaders’ proposed solutions.
Representatives from the Minga Indigena, a collective of indigenous peoples from the Americas, as well as others who have traveled from across the world for the talks, marched during the summit.
They presented a list of demands, having been largely excluded from talks in the past two weeks.
Despite their history of responsible environmental practices, most indigenous groups have not been represented during COP26 at the summit, instead attending fringe gatherings.
Hundreds of elders and other representatives from tribes and indigenous families were also left without official accommodation, turning to local Glaswegians for spare rooms or makeshift accommodation with the support of activists.
Speaking at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), representatives from the Minga Indigena said colonialism was at the root of the climate crisis.
“Climate change is not a blameless phenomenon. Colonialism is what caused climate change,” the group said in a statement.
“I don’t believe in the power of colonial systems to transform. I don’t believe in the power of colonialism that has killed us and stolen our lands.
“We cannot be comfortable at COP26. We have to continue our fight. We come from the people and we have to protect our peoples and our sisters.
“We will outlive this. We will outlive these empires.”
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