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4.5 ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The poor are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and lack of access to clean, affordable energy services. The special relationship between indigenous peoples and the environment has been well documented: the environmental protection of lands, territories and natural resources is integral to the cultural, spiritual and livelihood practices of indigenous peoples. More overlooked, however, is the impact of environmental and energy issues on minority groups and how the exclusion of minorities affects these sectors. Minorities are particularly vulnerable with respect to the environment. Researchers and activists have documented practices of ‘environmental racism’, which show that minorities are more likely to be affected by environmental pollution than dominant groups (e.g. Bullard and UNRISD 2004). For example, they are more likely to live in polluted areas, to rely on contaminated water sources or to take jobs that expose them to higher risks of environmental harm. The effects of climate change could also be especially harsh for minorities. Already facing discrimination in access to basic services, water, land and energy resources, increased scarcity of these resources will further exclude minorities, possibly leading to inter-communal conflict over such resources. The political and economic marginalisation of minorities means they are less able to move out of environmentally harmful areas or harmful employment and less able to influence political decisions that determine environmental policy. Minority regions may be disproportionately affected by environmental change. For example, climate change can affect those living in low-lying coastal regions impacted by rising water levels, those living in mountainous regions by changes in vegetation and those who rely on pastoralism facing increased desertification. These changes can affect the livelihoods and cultures of minority groups, increasing their vulnerability to poverty and cultural erosion. Minorities also find it more difficult to access relief in circumstances of environmental disaster because of discrimination or the disproportionately under-serviced areas where they live. The specific livelihoods of minorities might expose them to greater threats from environmental degradation, which can increase rates of poverty. For example, minorities that traditionally engage in fishing will struggle with climate and environmental changes in coastal regions and pastoralists will suffer from desertification and other environmental changes across their traditional grazing territories. Minority livelihoods might be viewed incorrectly as harmful to the environment. For example, practices by ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia of shifting cultivation have been criticized by those who do not understand the sustainability strategy behind these practices, which aim to conserve rather than destroy the land’s productive capacity. Eco-tourism is an increasing trend and visits to ethnic minority areas and festivals or religious minorities’ sacred sites are common attractions. While eco-tourism, managed ethically, may be beneficial to minorities, it could also cause harm. Often minority communities are affected by such tourism but accrue few economic or social benefits and have little control over the use of their cultural identity for marketing of tourism. Very few of the profits from eco-tourism reach the communities directly, while scare resources of food, water and energy can be diverted for the use of visitors and away from community access, increasing vulnerability. Minorities may be particularly vulnerable to the health effects of environmental pollution and degradation. Environmental racism pushes minorities into the most polluted settlement areas, where provision of clean water and sanitation is at its lowest. Minorities also frequently live in sub-standard housing conditions. Traditional food production by minorities can be impacted by environmental change. Reductions in fish stocks, sufficient grazing areas for cattle, biodiversity or forest areas can severely threaten food security for communities that culturally rely on these sources of food and livelihood. Some communities use traditional medicines derived from forest resources; as these resources decrease, traditional healthcare practices are at risk. The full participation of minorities in devising sustainable development strategies is essential both because of community expertise on environmental issues and because of the impact of such strategies on their culture, lifestyles and livelihoods. Representatives from minority communities can be invited to participate in environmental regulatory institutions. This can help to mitigate the practice of approving environmentally harmful industries to be based disproportionately in regions where mostly minorities live. Forms of discrimination that manifest, inter alia, as environmental racism, can be averted by ensuring access to justice for minorities. Access to Justice projects for groups affected by environmental harms can be supported. Programmes and projects can be assessed for potential adverse impact on minority groups. Provision of relief following environmental disasters can be planned with consideration for avoiding possible discriminatory practices and can be monitored to ensure minorities are benefiting equally. Cultural identities can be safeguarded against the adverse impact of environmental changes. Specific attention can be paid to reviewing how events like flooding, climate change, desertification, and air pollution are impacting on the ability of minority communities to practice their livelihoods, food production and protect their cultural ways of living. Special measures to assist minorities whose livelihoods are particularly harmed by environmental degradation can be put in place, including as part of poverty reduction strategies. Eco-tourism programmes could be managed with respect for minority protection. Programmes may be assessed to ensure that community members have consented to their participation in the schemes, that cultural and religious identities are protected and that members are benefiting from the potential economic gains of tourism. There are good examples of community-managed eco-tourism schemes that work to ensure the best interests of the community are met (e.g. Zeppel 2007). The UNDG Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues notes that many indigenous peoples are highly dependent on their lands and natural resources and that any changes to the ecosystem may impact on their way of life and survival. Environmental degradation contributes to continued poverty in indigenous communities due to their strong reliance on the environment for their livelihoods. Indigenous peoples may live in areas that are rich in biodiversity and particularly vulnerable to modifications in the environment, including those due to climate change. The direct and indirect impacts of climate change may threaten the very existence of the peoples of the Arctic, of small islands, high altitude areas, drylands and other vulnerable environments. Indigenous laws, beliefs and customs provide the framework for harmonious relations between indigenous peoples and their environment. In some cases, conservation programmes might have negative impacts on indigenous peoples and their capacity to use and protect their environment. Indigenous peoples are also severely affected by locally produced environmental contaminants, including from alien settlements, transportation routes, industry, forestry, military activities, prospecting, mining and oil production. Exposed indigenous communities may in some cases be forced to shift from traditional to non-traditional diets in order to minimize future risk of contamination. The UNDG Guidelines provide a number of guiding principles for UNDP policy responses that are consistent with the right of indigenous peoples to the conservation and productive capacity of the environment. The spiritual relationship of indigenous peoples to their lands and territories and environmentally sustainable practices have been recognized and conservation efforts on indigenous lands, including the establishment of new and management of existing protected areas, need to take place with the free, prior and informed consent and full participation of the communities concerned. Indigenous peoples have traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and their knowledge, and such practices should be recognized and respected, including their rights to benefit from traditional knowledge. In the case of climate change, indigenous communities have contributed the least to the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases because of their traditional practices, yet they are among the first to face direct adverse environmental, social and human consequences of climate change. Consequently, indigenous peoples must fully participate in the definition and implementation of policies and plans related to climate change impact mitigation. Based on their long-term relationship with their environments, indigenous peoples often possess sophisticated traditional ecological knowledge of weather patterns, including complex adaptive responses towards cycles of climatic variability. In this context, indigenous peoples’ knowledge could be considered an important element within the international debate regarding adaptation to climate change.
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