Indigenous activists support cancellation of Keystone XL pipeline project
Summary
TLDRAriel 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
🌏 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.
💡 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Indigenous Climate Action
💡Paris Agreement
💡Oil Sands Development
💡Ecosystem Destabilization
💡Treaty Rights
💡Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs)
💡Renewable Energy
💡Climate Crisis
💡Keystone XL
💡Sustainable Systems
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
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