Indigenous land threatened by renewable energy projects
Ramping up renewable energy is a crucial part of reducing emissions but the protection of indigenous land rights must be at the core of our efforts to tackle the climate crisis. “Indigenous peoples’ lands are often seen by state authorities and developers as vacant, fallow and virgin land, and are targeted for resource extraction and large infrastructure projects.”
Indigenous communities make up less than 5% of the world's population, but they protect as much as 80% of global biodiversity. This makes the preservation of their land and their way of life crucial for the future of our planet. Unfortunately, the exploitation of Indigenous land has carried on for centuries, and with it, the degradation of crucial ecosystems upon which these communities rely. Now, as countries navigate the transition to renewable energy, Indigenous land rights could be more vulnerable than ever before.
Renewable Energy projects and Recognition of Indigenous Rights
Ramping up renewable energy is a crucial part of reducing emissions and tackling the climate crisis. It is even more vital in areas where energy poverty can be as devastating as food scarcity and drought. So, when these countries embrace renewable energy, it is widely seen as a positive thing. But there are complexities in the development of these projects, and the rush to execute them as quickly as possible can lead to a reckless disregard for local ecosystems and communities.
Indigenous people have unsurprisingly borne the brunt of this, largely because legal protection of their ancestral land is flimsy at best. This is especially true in Kenya, which has not ratified the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 1989 Convention which legally requires governments to consult with Indigenous peoples regarding measures that affect them, and guarantees Indigenous peoples’ participation in decision making processes. Instead, the land that Indigenous people lived on was mostly held in trust by the country governments, and easily signed away to foreign investors. This changed with the passing of the 2016 Community Land Act, but even this fails to fully protect Indigenous land.
Kenya is not the only country to fail to acknowledge Indigeneity. When nations like Kenya first gained independence, their governments feared that the recognition of Indigenous groups may make it harder to maintain colonial-era borders. This has meant that the livelihood of these Indigenous groups, which is already hanging by a thread due to the disastrous effects of climate change, are further threatened by the steady expansion of renewables across the country.
In 2018 President Kenyatta pledged to have Kenya transition to 100% renewable energy by 2020. But progress has been slowed by conflicts between investors and Indigenous groups over land rights. According to a report from the The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) on the ‘Impact of Renewable Energy Projects on Indigenous Communities in Kenya’:
“Indigenous peoples’ lands are often seen by state authorities and developers as vacant, fallow and virgin land, and are targeted for resource extraction and large infrastructure projects (...) as a result of land grabbing, as well as poor protection of their land rights, Indigenous peoples have experienced land dispossession, forced removal and loss of their livelihood and culture.”
Land dispossesion and the Turkana Wind Power Project
This conflict can be seen clearly within the Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project, an expanding wind farm on the shores of Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya. The project, which was originally established in 2006, has created tension with the Rendille, Samburu, Turkana and El Molo people. These Indigenous groups have traditionally roamed the land where the wind farm now sits, seasonally grazing their livestock and collecting water. Unfortunately, the weak legislation that protects communal land has failed them.
The LTWP project grew more contentious when, to make way for a road to the site, the Turkana village of Salima was forced to move. In 2016, reporting on the social impacts of the LTWP project, Damwatch saw the arrival of substance abuse and prostitution in Salima as well as an increase in domestic violence.
The issue is that the environmental strategies that governments are adopting are designed to work within a system that puts profit ahead of the planet. This fundamentally fraught system has not only ignored, but rewarded the continuous plundering of Indigenous lands. Now more than ever we should be protecting and learning from the communities that live in balance with their environment. But governments around the world continue to demolish them in the name of green progress.
Wind Farms and Sami rights in Norway
This disregard for conservation and Indigenous rights is playing out all over the world. In Norway, a wind farm was erected in an area used by the Sami people as winter pastures. And although a Norwegian court ruled that the Sami are entitled to compensation for losing that territory, the international wind power consortium, ‘Fosen Vind’ has appealed that ruling and is being supported in court by the Norwegian government. This is despite article 108 of the Norwegian Constitution which says that “the authorities of the State shall create conditions enabling the Sámi people to preserve and develop its language, culture and way of life”.
Hydroelectric Project and Fishing Practices in Indonesia
In some cases, these projects are initially approved by locals. In 2005, on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, the Lake Poso region had just gone through a devastating communal conflict which left hundreds of people dead and thousands displaced. For this reason, the construction of a Hydroelectric project was welcomed by local leaders who hoped that it would usher in an era of progress and unity. Residents even agreed to give up land for the proposed three-level, 515-megawatt dam. Then in 2018, when only half of the project was completed, the hydropower company, PT Poso Energy, told Poso’s residents that the mouth of the lake would have to be dredged. This threatens to destroy the sustainable fishing practices that thousands have relied on for centuries, as well as the villages built along the shores of the river. Conservationists also worry that re-engineering the lake will wreak havoc on an ancient ecosystem.
Until we move away from this fundamentally flawed approach to environmentalism, we are fighting a losing battle. The protection of indigenous land rights must be at the core of our efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Sadly, this much needed support was not seen at Cop26. Whilst making some attempts to appear to be more inclusive, the recent conference in Glasgow ended in a deal that Indigenous activists are calling ‘a death sentence’. The deal creates a regulated global carbon trading market, commodifying natural resources and putting Indigenous communities at higher risk of land grabs. It also falls short of the help needed for those on the frontline.
The Indigenous groups surrounding the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in Kenya are fighting for their lives. They, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, are facing devastating climate-related drought and starvation. Because they cannot afford it, they have never received any power from the wind turbines installed on their land. We need renewable energy, but if we don’t also protect, support and collaborate with indigenous people, we have no hope for a restorative future.
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