Environmental Justice: 3 Indigenous Case Studies

12/5/20222 min read

I looked at 3 case studies of environmental justice impacting Indigenous rights and wellbeing.

The first (‘Opposition to oil & gas exploitation, New Zealand’) involves the role of civil society in preventing new fossil fuel exploration activity.

In 2014, Chevron entered the New Zealand oil and gas market when it was granted 3 15-year offshore exploration permits in the Pegasus Basin. This triggered a wave of demonstrations in Australia and New Zealand, with both Māori and Pākehā protesters concerned over Chevron's poor environmental, safety, and community track record. It appears that Chevron abandoned its permits in 2019 (Greenpeace 2019).

The second, Hamlet of Clyde River. Petroleum Geo-Services Inc., Nunavut, Canada, deals with government bodies’ duty to consult with affected Indigenous communities in projects with environmental impacts.

The National Energy Board (“NEB”) of Canada authorised 3 oil companies to conduct seismic drilling for natural gas in the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay in Nunavut, Canada. The Inuit of Clyde River objected to the grant of approval on two grounds - they had not been adequately consulted, and the testing would result in loss of riverine mammals essential for their food security and traditional way of life. The Supreme Court overturned approval for the project in 5 years later on the basis that, and especially considering Inuit treaty rights over right to harvest marine mammals under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (1993), the NEB had failed to fulfil its duty of consultation.

The third case study, ‘Underwater gas pipeline along the Ob River, Novy port, Yamal, Arctic Russia’, outlines potential environmental impacts of new projects if due consultation and assessment are omitted.

In December 2021, Gazprom Neft completed construction of a 115km-long pipeline (of which more than half is underwater), connecting its Novy Port field in the northern Yamal Peninsula to the Yamburg-Tula pipeline south of the Peninsulsa. Local Indigenous groups including the Nenets people, who are dependent on the marine ecosystem and reindeer, have been affected adversely by this development. Fishermen have experienced decreased catch, impacting livelihoods and diet. Researchers predict the irreversible disappearance of fish in the Ob Bay.

These cases exemplify climate justice (or, injustice), in that they highlight the role of corporations in perpetuating fossil capital, by persisting in the exploration and extraction of new fossil fuels, and by continuing to invest in oil and gas infrastructure.

In all of the 3 case studies, it is the corporations’ responsibility to, first of all, pivot or divest from activities involving the exploitation of fossil fuels, and second, to work closely with local and Indigenous communities and experts to assess the potential impacts of any such projects.

Given their reliance upon and close connection to the environment, local and Indigenous communities are most affected by the extraction of natural resources and the associated infrastructure.

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