Indigenous activists support cancellation of Keystone XL pipeline project

Summary

Ariel Durange, Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action and member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, discusses the environmental and community impacts of oil and gas development in Canada. She emphasizes the destabilization of ecosystems, water contamination, and diminished health in her community. Ariel critiques the economic pressures that force Indigenous leaders to support pipeline projects, despite their harmful effects. She rejects the idea of using clean energy to develop fossil fuels and calls for a shift towards sustainable energy solutions that respect Indigenous land rights and the climate crisis.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Ariel Duran Jay, Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action, supports President Biden's climate-related announcement.
• 🌱 Canada has signed the Paris Agreement and promised to respect Indigenous rights, yet oil and gas projects continue to impact Indigenous communities.
• 💧 The oil sands development, one of the largest on Earth, has destabilized ecosystems, impacting water quality, air, and the health of surrounding Indigenous communities.
• 🚧 Indigenous leaders face tough decisions between supporting the oil industry for economic reasons and protecting their lands and treaty rights.
• 💼 Some Indigenous leaders, like Chief Adam, have advocated for owning pipelines to gain more control and benefit from these projects rather than being sidelined.
• 🛢 Ariel criticizes the hypocrisy of using clean energy to develop 'dirty' fossil fuels, calling for a transition away from reliance on unsustainable energy sources.
• 🔧 Ariel acknowledges the safety improvements in pipeline infrastructure but argues that fossil fuels should not be used in the first place due to their environmental harm.
• 💬 Ariel expresses disappointment that Canada's leaders, including Prime Minister Trudeau, have supported the Keystone XL pipeline while the U.S. has taken a stronger stance under Biden.
• 💡 Ariel calls for a shift towards clean energy that is accessible to all, not just big corporations, and urges governments to transition workers to sustainable jobs.
• 🌎 Ariel emphasizes that politicians are failing in their duty to uphold commitments to Indigenous communities and the Paris Agreement.

Q & A

What is Ariel Duran Jay's position on the announcement from Biden regarding the oil and gas industry?

Ariel Duran Jay welcomes the announcement as a step in the right direction, emphasizing Canada's commitments to climate change and indigenous rights.

How does the oil sands development impact the environment and indigenous communities according to Ariel Duran Jay?

The oil sands development leads to the destabilization of ecosystems, water table issues, water contamination, air quality problems, and a decline in the quality of life for indigenous communities.

What are the implications of the oil and gas industry on the practice of treaty and aboriginal rights by indigenous communities?

The industry affects the ability of indigenous communities to safely practice hunting, fishing, and trapping, as well as accessing their traditional territories.

What is Ariel Duran Jay's view on the argument that pipelines bring jobs to indigenous communities?

She acknowledges the complex situation where leaders are pressured to support pipelines for economic reasons, despite the environmental and health impacts on their communities.

How does Ariel Duran Jay respond to the idea of indigenous ownership of pipelines as a form of control?

She sees it as a difficult choice made by leaders who feel forced into an economy reliant on dirty energy, with the hope of having some control over projects that will proceed regardless.

What does Ariel Duran Jay think about TC Energy's announcement of a pipeline powered by renewable energy?

She views it as hypocritical to use clean energy to develop dirty energy sources and argues that everyone should have access to clean energy instead.

What is Ariel Duran Jay's stance on the argument that pipelines are safer than other forms of transport for oil?

She argues that even if pipelines are safer, they still transport a harmful product that is damaging to the environment and should not be used.

How does Ariel Duran Jay feel about the Canadian government's support for the Keystone XL pipeline compared to Biden's stance?

She finds it refreshing that Biden is taking a different stance, but also expresses disappointment in Canadian governments for not shifting away from fossil fuels sooner.

What does Ariel Duran Jay suggest as an alternative to the current reliance on fossil fuels?

She advocates for a swift transition away from fossil fuels, with governments taking responsibility for supporting workers and remediating lands.

What is Ariel Duran Jay's opinion on the importance of respecting indigenous rights over land and territories?

She stresses the importance of upholding treaty rights and allowing indigenous nations to control their lands and territories, which is not currently being done.

How does Ariel Duran Jay view the role of governments in transitioning to a sustainable economy?

She believes governments should be proactive in building sustainable economies and systems, ensuring everyone has access to clean energy, not just large corporations.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Indigenous Impact on Climate Change Policies

Ariel Duran Jay, Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action and a member of Athabasca Chippewan First Nation, discusses the impact of oil and gas projects on indigenous lands. She emphasizes that despite Canada's commitments to the Paris Agreement and indigenous rights, projects continue to be pushed onto indigenous communities. Duran Jay highlights the environmental and health consequences of oil sands development, including ecosystem destabilization, water contamination, and compromised treaty rights. She also addresses the complex position of indigenous leaders who, facing economic pressures, may advocate for pipeline ownership as a means of control and benefit, rather than outright opposition.

05:03

💡 Transitioning to Renewables: The Debate on Pipelines

The conversation continues with Ariel Duran Jay critiquing the notion of using renewable energy to power fossil fuel projects, calling it 'hypocrisy'. She argues for a transition to a clean energy economy that is accessible to all, rather than relying on unsustainable boom-and-bust fossil fuel industries. Duran Jay dismisses the argument that pipelines are safer than other transport methods, pointing out that the oil they carry is inherently harmful and difficult to remediate. She calls for government action to support workers in transitioning to sustainable industries and to respect indigenous rights to land and self-determination. The discussion concludes with Duran Jay expressing disappointment in Canadian governments' lack of action on climate change and their reliance on outdated energy sources, contrasting this with President-elect Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline.

Keywords

💡Indigenous Climate Action

Indigenous Climate Action refers to the efforts and initiatives led by indigenous communities to combat climate change. In the script, Ariel Duran Jay, a member of Athabasca Chippewan First Nation, represents this organization, emphasizing the importance of indigenous involvement in climate discussions and actions. The group likely advocates for environmental justice and sustainable practices that respect indigenous rights and knowledge.

💡Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is a global commitment to combat climate change, aiming to limit global warming and support nations in transitioning to greener economies. The script mentions Canada's signing of the agreement, highlighting the country's international pledge to address climate change, which includes respecting indigenous rights and reducing emissions from projects like oil sands development.

💡Oil Sands Development

Oil sands development refers to the extraction and processing of bitumen from oil sands, typically found in Alberta, Canada. The script discusses the massive scale of this industry and its environmental impacts, such as water contamination and ecosystem destabilization. It is portrayed as a significant contributor to climate change and a threat to indigenous communities' health and traditional lifestyles.

💡Ecosystem Destabilization

Ecosystem destabilization occurs when human activities disrupt the balance of natural ecosystems, leading to negative environmental consequences. In the context of the script, the oil sands development is said to destabilize ecosystems beyond the project boundaries, affecting water tables, air quality, and the ability of indigenous communities to practice their traditional rights.

💡Treaty Rights

Treaty rights are the rights and obligations established by treaties between indigenous peoples and governments. The script emphasizes the importance of respecting these rights, particularly in relation to land and resource management. Ariel Duran Jay discusses how projects like oil sands development infringe upon these rights, affecting the communities' ability to access their traditional territories.

💡Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs)

Impact Benefit Agreements are legal contracts between project proponents and indigenous communities that aim to provide benefits to the communities in exchange for supporting the project. The script mentions IBAs in the context of pipelines, suggesting that while they may offer some financial benefits, they are often seen as inadequate compared to the broader environmental and cultural impacts of the projects.

💡Renewable Energy

Renewable energy refers to energy sources that can be replenished naturally and sustainably, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. The script contrasts renewable energy with 'dirty energy' like oil sands, highlighting a TC Energy announcement about using renewable energy to power a pipeline. This is criticized as hypocritical, as it still supports the extraction of fossil fuels.

💡Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is a term used to describe the urgent and potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change. The script discusses the need to transition away from fossil fuels due to the climate crisis, emphasizing that the current reliance on oil and gas is unsustainable and poses a risk to future generations and the environment.

💡Keystone XL

Keystone XL is a controversial pipeline project that would transport oil from Canada to the United States. The script mentions support from Canadian political figures for the project, contrasting with the stance taken by the U.S. President-elect Biden, who is portrayed as taking a more environmentally conscious position by opposing the pipeline.

💡Sustainable Systems

Sustainable systems refer to economic, social, and environmental practices that can be maintained over the long term without depleting resources or causing irreversible damage to the environment. The script calls for the creation of sustainable systems that provide access to clean energy for all, rather than relying on temporary solutions like pipelines powered by renewable energy.

Highlights

Ariel Duran Jay, Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action, welcomes Biden's announcement as a step in the right direction for climate commitments.

Canada has signed the Paris Agreement and made promises to indigenous communities, yet continues to push energy projects onto indigenous lands.

Oil sands development is one of the largest infrastructures on Earth, requiring massive resources and causing ecosystem destabilization.

Impacts on indigenous communities include water table destabilization, water contamination, air quality issues, and threats to traditional practices.

Health quality in communities has severely diminished since the expansion of oil and gas projects in the 90s.

Some indigenous leaders, like Athabasca Chipwin Chief Adam, have supported the oil and gas industry for job creation in indigenous communities.

Chief Adam's stance is not straightforward, reflecting the difficult choices indigenous leaders face between economic needs and environmental protection.

Indigenous leaders have historically faced legal challenges and a lack of support from the government for their interventions.

The argument that owning a pipeline is better than being forced into participation and receiving minimal benefits is discussed.

Ariel criticizes the hypocrisy of using clean energy to develop dirty energy sources.

Access to clean energy should be a right for everyone, not just for sustaining dirty energy industries.

Pipelines are claimed to be safer than other transport methods, but Ariel argues that the focus should be on transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The safety benefits of new pipelines do not justify the continued use of crude oil, which is harmful to the environment.

Governments should be planning sustainable economies and supporting workers in transitioning from fossil fuels.

Canadian politicians have not taken the necessary steps to meet their commitments to indigenous communities or the Paris Agreement.

Biden's stance on the Keystone XL pipeline is seen as a fresh approach compared to Canadian politicians' support for the project.

Ariel calls for drastic action and real risks to be taken by governments to shift economies away from reliance on oil and gas.

Transcripts

and for more reaction now we're joined

by ariel duran jay she's the executive

director of indigenous climate action

and a member of athabasca chippewan

first nation

those lands are just upstream from some

of alberta's biggest

energy projects ariel i assume it's safe

to say that you

are welcoming this announcement from

biden

absolutely i mean this is a step in the

right direction

we have as the country of canada we've

signed on to the paris agreement

we've made commitments to climate change

we've made promises to indigenous

communities to respect

indigenous rights and uphold our our say

over our lands and territories and yet

we're still seeing these types of

projects

not just pushed onto our own communities

but now we're trying to force them into

other nations

so can you explain what kinds of impacts

the the oil and gas industry has had on

your community

uh over the the past decades

you know the oil sands development is

one of the largest infrastructures on

planet

earth so it's a huge undertaking that

requires a massive amount of resources

and not just the land in which the these

these projects exist on but it it

involves the extraction of massive

amounts of water it involves the

import importing of natural gas in order

to

process these plants and pull the oil

away from

the soil and and create this oil

what that results in is not just this

physical imprint of the projects

themselves

but a destabilization of the ecosystems

beyond the project limit boundaries

and this has huge implications on the

communities in and around the extraction

zone

from the the the water table

destabilization the water contamination

the air quality and the quality of life

and our ability to continue

practicing treaty and aboriginal rights

to hunting fishing and trapping and

accessing our traditional territories in

a safe way

and overall the quality of health for

many of the communities has severely

diminished since these projects have

taken off in the 90s so you know there

are indigenous leaders who have

supported over the years the oil and gas

industry athabasca chipwin

chief alum adam who who you worked

closely with

at one time uh he's called for

indigenous peoples to own a pipeline and

the argument there is that

the industry brings jobs to the

indigenous community

you know there are leaders who who want

to be business partners in the pipeline

so what

what's your reaction to to that kind of

different take from your community

so i think the the reality is is chief

adam hasn't always been on that side and

when you actually get into a deeper

conversation rather than looking for

those

those those like quick snip snippets of

like this is what they're saying now

versus what they said before

it's not a clean clear-cut black and

white situation

these are leaders that are have been put

in a rock between a rock and a hard

place where they've had to make

decisions about whether or not their

communities are going to be able to

afford putting food on their tables and

have roofs over their head

or saving and safeguarding our lands and

territories for future generations and

the use of our treaty rights

and for the most part history has told

these leaders

that interventions will amount to

nothing but heartache for your

communities

chief adam and my nation have mounted

numerous legal challenges and new verses

interventions

on many of the projects and every single

project we intervened on was approved

so in the end what do you think is going

to happen these leaders are going to say

well we need to get something out of

this

if these projects are going to exist

with or without us we might as well try

to to have some semblance of control

and this is where many of those

communities end up

but this is a picture of what canada

continues to do

is to not actually uphold the tenants of

treaty and aboriginal treaty rights in

this country

not meeting the bare minimum standards

of the united nations declaration of the

rights of indigenous peoples to allow us

to have say over our lands and

territories

and forcing these projects down our

throats till our communities have no

other choice but to say yes

and of course owning a pipeline seems

better

than being forced to um to participate

and get

pennies on of of you know what do they

call it

uh ibas um impact benefit agreements

it's much better to to own it from that

perspective if that's the only

perspective we're told

we're allowed to participate in so the

reality is it should be half

and more options right so i do want to

ask a little bit because

on the same day that cbc reported uh

this plan from biden

uh tc energy announced that they were

going to be the first pipeline

fully powered by renewable energy so do

you see

any way where there is a climate

friendly way to keep this industry going

is there any sort of middle ground here

it's it's like pure hypocrisy to talk

about like we're going to use clean

energy to develop dirty energy

let's just name that first off it's

great that they're employing these these

tactics of clean energy

these types of uh capabilities of clean

energy should be something that

everyone has access to so we don't need

dirty energy

that's the reality the problem is is

we're still being forced into an economy

that relies on dirty energies and boom

bust economies

that are not sustainable for future

generations

not sustainable for the environment

and this is hypoxia to try and sell it

this way everyone should have the right

to be able to access clean green energy

for everything that we do and we should

be looking at ways to support and

transition the workers

and remediate the lands and give nations

back the right to

control our lands and territories so

that these things don't continue to

happen into the future

what about the argument that pipelines

are safer than

barges or trucks or rail transport

there's also the argument that

because this pipeline is new that deals

with the problem of

old pipelines corroded pipe that that

often is the cause of leaks

what do you make of some of the safety

benefits that are cited for projects

like these

first off we're talking about safety

benefits for a crude corrosive oil

and if we can mitigate that in some way

sure that's great but

we're still talking about a dirty crude

oil that when it spills

it takes decades for it to be remediated

and cleaned out of the out of the

environments we're talking about a crude

oil that we shouldn't be utilizing and

burning in the first place

it just to talk about well it's a you

know

we're going to use clean energy to to

build this pipeline and we're going to

use like really good

pipes to make sure that there's not as

many spills because the reality is we

can't mitigate

all the risk the only way to mitigate

the risk of this is to

not dig up this oil and look to make

swift take swift

action to transition away from these

fossil fuels

and this was a promise of the liberal

government that they were going to take

action

to ensure that the workers in these

fields didn't have to just

get their jobs taken away and you know

jason kenny talking about how this is

going to affect

thousands of families it is but it's the

responsibility of our governments to

look at the trends and move with those

trends and build economies and

sustainable systems that everyone has

access to

not just big companies that can

implement

clean energy everyone should have access

to it and just on the point of

government

liberal prime minister justin trudeau

and former alberta and dp

premier uh rachel notley both supported

the keystone xl

so how does it feel to to watch the us

the next

president take this stance where canada

wouldn't

it's a breath of fresh air but it's also

really disappointing that our

governments feel that this is our only

option in our recourse

our economies need to shift and change

and that takes drastic

action and it means taking real risks

and

president-elect biden has proven that

you can take those risks you can do

these things and sure it's not his

economy and this is just one pipeline

and it affects more

but we should have been taking the steps

to mitigate this like decades ago

we saw the trend shifting away from oil

and gas

because of the climate crisis and we

should have taken more steps to ensure

that this wasn't the case we were in now

that we were relying on dirty oil

pipelines

with green technology to try to make our

you know our conscience feel cleaner

we're not doing our job

our politicians are not doing their job

to meet their commitments to

the first nations communities on the

ground

or to our commitments to meet the paris

agreement all right ariel dragae with

indigenous climate action and a member

of athabasca nation

thank you so much for being with us

tonight thank you for having me