Published

1 year ago

December 24, 2024

Alice Rush

Across Canada, Indigenous communities are taking a stand as guardians of the nation’s waterways. Rooted in a sacred relationship with water that spans millennia, these “Water Protectors” are leading innovative initiatives to safeguard rivers, lakes, and oceans in the face of climate change. Their efforts not only address immediate environmental concerns but also assert Indigenous rights and revitalize cultural practices tied to water.

The Sacred Relationship with Water

For Indigenous Peoples across Canada, water is not merely a resource but a living entity deserving of respect and protection. Josephine Mandamin, an Anishinaabe Elder and renowned Water Walker, once said, “The water is sick… we need to do something for the water.” This sentiment echoes through many Indigenous cultures, driving a powerful movement for water protection.

Climate change poses unprecedented threats to Canada’s waterways, from changing precipitation patterns and increased flooding to rising water temperatures and altered ecosystems. These changes not only impact the environment but also threaten the cultural practices and livelihoods of Indigenous communities deeply connected to these water bodies.

Traditional Water Governance

(Image credit: Arno Ryser, Unsplash)

At the heart of Indigenous water protection efforts lies traditional water governance – systems of stewardship that have sustained healthy waterways for generations. These governance models, often overlooked by colonial systems, are now gaining recognition for their effectiveness in promoting sustainable water use.

In the Great Lakes region, Anishinaabe water governance is rooted in the concept of “mino-mnaamodzawin” or “living the good life.” This holistic approach considers the interconnectedness of all living things and emphasizes responsibility to future generations. Deborah McGregor, an Anishinaabe scholar and advocate, explains, “Our traditional laws teach us that we have a sacred responsibility to protect the water, not just for ourselves, but for all of creation.”

Indigenous-Led Water Protection Initiatives

Across the country, Indigenous communities are launching grassroots initiatives to monitor, protect, and restore their waterways.

Community-Based Monitoring Programs

The Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario have developed a comprehensive water monitoring program. Community members, trained in both traditional knowledge and Western scientific methods, regularly test water quality and track changes in the watershed. This program not only provides crucial data on water health but also empowers the community to take an active role in water stewardship.

Restoration of Traditional Water Systems

In British Columbia, the Okanagan Nation Alliance has been leading efforts to restore salmon habitats damaged by development and exacerbated by climate change. By combining traditional knowledge with modern conservation techniques, they’ve successfully reintroduced salmon to streams that haven’t been seen in decades.

Pauline Terbasket, executive director of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, shares, “Bringing the salmon back is not just about food security or environmental health. It’s about cultural revitalization and asserting our role as caretakers of the land and water.”

Legal and Policy Advocacy

Indigenous Water Protectors are also making waves in the legal and policy realms. Many nations are asserting their inherent rights to water governance, challenging colonial water laws that have long marginalized Indigenous perspectives.

The Yukon First Nations’ Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow proposal, which eventually led to modern treaties in the territory, explicitly includes provisions for water management and protection. This groundbreaking approach ensures that Indigenous water rights are enshrined in legally binding agreements.

Combining Traditional Knowledge and Western Science

One of the strengths of Indigenous water protection initiatives is their ability to bridge traditional knowledge and Western scientific approaches. This synergy creates more comprehensive and effective water management strategies.

In the Northwest Territories, the Tracking Change project brings together Indigenous knowledge holders and university researchers to study the Mackenzie River Basin. This collaborative approach has yielded insights into climate change impacts that neither group could have achieved alone.

Dahti Tsetso, a member of the Dehcho First Nations involved in the project, notes, “Our Elders can tell you how the river has changed over decades. When you combine that with scientific data, you get a full picture of what’s happening and what we need to do.”

Water Ceremonies and Cultural Revitalization

Water protection is not just about environmental conservation – it’s also about cultural revitalization. Many Indigenous-led initiatives incorporate traditional ceremonies and cultural practices, recognizing the inseparable link between water health and community wellbeing.

The Water Walks, initiated by Anishinaabe Elder Josephine Mandamin, have inspired Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike to reconnect with waterways. These ceremonial walks around the Great Lakes and other water bodies raise awareness about water issues while revitalizing cultural practices.

Autumn Peltier, a young Anishinaabe water activist following in Mandamin’s footsteps, emphasizes the spiritual dimension of water protection: “We don’t see water as a resource. We see it as a living thing, as sacred. That’s why we call ourselves Water Protectors, not protesters.”

Challenges and Successes

Despite their crucial work, Indigenous Water Protectors face significant challenges. Industrial activities, from pipeline projects to mining operations, continue to threaten water sources in many Indigenous territories. Navigating complex jurisdictional issues between Indigenous, provincial, and federal governments also poses ongoing challenges.

However, there have been notable successes. In 2021, the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s efforts to protect the Wedzin Kwa (Morice River) from pipeline construction garnered national attention and support. Their actions highlighted the role of Indigenous peoples as frontline defenders of Canada’s waters.

The Future of Indigenous Water Protection

As climate change intensifies, the role of Indigenous Water Protectors becomes ever more crucial. Emerging leaders are combining traditional knowledge with new technologies, using drones, AI, and social media to monitor and protect waterways.

Eriel Deranger, Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action, sees hope in these developments: “Our young people are taking up the mantle of water protection, armed with both our ancestral knowledge and new tools. They’re the future of this movement.”

Indigenous Water Protection as a Model for Climate Resilience

(Image credit: Getty Images, Licensed, Unsplash)

The efforts of Indigenous Water Protectors offer a powerful model for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Their holistic approach, which views water health as inseparable from community and cultural well-being, provides a roadmap for sustainable water management in a changing climate.

As Canada grapples with the water-related impacts of climate change, from flooding to droughts, the wisdom and practices of Indigenous Water Protectors become increasingly valuable. Their work not only protects vital ecosystems but also paves the way for a more just and sustainable approach to water governance.

Supporting Indigenous water rights and protection efforts is not just an environmental imperative – it’s a step towards reconciliation and a more sustainable future for all Canadians. As we face the growing challenges of climate change, the vision and dedication of Indigenous Water Protectors light the way toward a future where clean, healthy waters flow for generations to come.

Blog by Rye Karonhiowanen Barberstock

(Header Image Credit: Ries Bosch, Unsplash)

The post Water Protectors: Indigenous-Led Initiatives Safeguarding Canada’s Waterways in a Changing Climate appeared first on Indigenous Climate Hub.

Water Protectors: Indigenous-Led Initiatives Safeguarding Canada’s Waterways in a Changing Climate

Climate Change

Wondering How to Talk About Climate Change? Take a Lesson from Bad Bunny

Published

20 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Alice Rush

Discussing climate change can make a difference. Focusing on the impacts in everyday life is a good place to start, experts say.

By David Sun

When Bad Bunny climbed onto broken power lines during his Super Bowl halftime show, millions of viewers saw a spectacle. Climate communicators saw a lesson in how to talk about climate change.

Wondering How to Talk About Climate Change? Take a Lesson from Bad Bunny

Climate Change

Greenpeace response to escalating attacks on gas fields in Middle East

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2026

Alice Rush

Sydney, Thursday 19 March 2026 — In response to escalating attacks on gas fields in the Middle East, including Israeli strikes on Iran’s giant South Pars gas field and Iranian retaliations on gas fields in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the following lines can be attributed to Solaye Snider, Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific:

“The targeting of gas fields across the Middle East is a perilous escalation that reinforces just how vulnerable our fossil-fuelled world really is.

“Oil and gas have long been used as tools of power and coercion by authoritarian regimes. They cause climate chaos and environmental pollution and they drive conflict and war. The energy security of every nation still hooked on gas, including Australia, is under direct threat.

“For countries that are reliant on gas imports, like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Korea, this crisis is just getting started. It can take months to restart a gas export facility once it is shut down, meaning the shockwaves of these strikes will be felt for a long time to come.

“It is a gross and tragic injustice that while civilians are killed and lose their homes to this escalating violence, and families struggle with a tightening cost-of-living, gas giants like Woodside and Santos have seen their share prices surge on the prospect of windfall war profits.

“We must break this cycle. Transitioning to local renewable energy is the way to protect Australian households from the inherent volatility of fossil fuels like gas.”

-ENDS-

Images available for download via the Greenpeace Media Library

Media contact: Lucy Keller on 0491 135 308 or lkeller@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace response to escalating attacks on gas fields in Middle East

Climate Change

DeBriefed 20 March 2026: Energy crisis deepens | Brazil’s new climate plan | New Zealand climate case

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2026

Alice Rush

Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.

This week

Iran war fallout continues

WORK FROM HOME: The International Energy Agency has advised its member countries to take 10 steps in response to the ongoing energy crisis fuelled by the Iran war, including reducing highway speeds and encouraging people to work from home, said the Guardian. It came after retaliatory attacks between Israel and Iran continued to destroy energy infrastructure in the Middle East, causing energy prices to soar further, said Reuters.

SUPPLY DISRUPTED: The IEA also said it is prepared to make more of its member nations’ 1.4bn-barrel oil reserves available to help ease the impacts of what it called the “biggest supply disruption in the history of the oil market”, reported Bloomberg. The outlet noted that Asian countries have been hit hardest by the shortages, caused by a “near-halt” of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

EU SUMMIT: The energy crisis dominated talks at an EU leaders summit on Thursday, said Politico. Arriving at the summit, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez attacked other European leaders for using the energy crisis as an excuse to “gut climate policies”, according to the EU Observer. The Financial Times said that some European leaders have asked the European Commission to overhaul its flagship emissions trading system (ETS) by summer in response to the energy crisis.

COAL BOOST: In response to the conflict, utility companies in Asia are “boosting coal-fired power generation to cut costs and safeguard energy supply”, said Reuters. UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell told Reuters: “If there was ever a moment to accelerate that energy transition, breaking dependencies which have shackled economies, this is the time.”

Around the world

WINDFARM WINDFALL: The Trump administration in the US is considering a nearly $1bn settlement with TotalEnergies to cancel the French energy company’s two planned windfarms off the US east coast and have it instead invest in fossil-gas infrastructure in Texas, according to documents seen by the New York Times.
BUSINESS CLASH: Following “clashes” with the agribusiness sector, Brazil launched its new climate plan, which calls for a 49-58% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2022 levels by 2025 and includes “specific guidelines for different sectors”, reported Folha de Sao Paolo.
SALES SLUMP: Sales of liquified petroleum gas from India’s state-run oil companies have fallen by 17% this month due to cuts in deliveries to commercial and industrial consumers “amid the widespread logistical bottlenecks triggered by the Iran war”, said the Economic Times.
CUBAN ENERGY CRISIS: The US imposed an “effective oil blockade” on Cuba, leaving the country facing its “worst energy crisis in decades”, reported the Washington Post. Meanwhile, Chinese exports of solar panels to the island have “skyrocketed” since 2023, it added.
RECORD HIGHS: An “unprecedented” heatwave in the western and south-western US is “shattering dozens of temperature records” and could lead to drought in California in the coming months, reported the Los Angeles Times.
VULNERABILITY CONCERNS: Landslides that killed more than 100 people in southern Ethiopia have “renewed concerns about Ethiopia’s vulnerability to climate-related disasters”, said the Addis Standard.

1%

The percentage of England’s land surface that could be devoted to renewables by 2050, according to the long-awaited “land-use framework” released by the UK government this week and covered by Carbon Brief.

Latest climate research

Approaching international climate action by shifting the burden of mitigation onto higher-income countries could avoid 13.5 million premature deaths from air pollution in middle- and lower-income countries by 2050 | The Lancet Global Health
Beavers can turn the ecosystems surrounding streams into “persistent” sinks of carbon that can sequester an order of magnitude more than non-beaver-modified ecosystems can store | Communications Earth & Environment
Mobile-phone data from seven diverse countries during the summer heatwaves of 2022-23 showed a “widespread tendency to withdraw into homes” and an increase in out-of-home activities that can offer cooling, such as indoor retail | Environmental Research: Climate

(For more, see Carbon Brief’s in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)

Captured

Nearly_750_studies_have_found_that_climate_change_has_made_extreme_events_more_severe_or_likely

Carbon Brief this week published a significant update to its map of how climate change is affecting extreme weather events around the world. The map now includes 232 new extreme weather events from studies published in 2024 and 2025. Of these events, 196 were made more severe or more likely to occur by human-driven climate change, 12 were made less severe or less likely to occur and 10 had no discernible human influence. (The remaining 14 studies were inconclusive.)

Spotlight

New Zealand breaks new ground on climate litigation

This week, Carbon Brief speaks to experts about a first-of-its-kind climate lawsuit in New Zealand.

Earlier this week, representatives from two environmentally focused legal advocacy groups challenged the New Zealand government’s climate-action plan in court.

The plaintiffs argued that the measures laid out in the plan are insufficient to achieve the country’s legal obligation to hold global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures.

The case could be “influential” in shaping lawsuits and rulings around the world, one legal expert not involved in the case told Carbon Brief.

Reductions vs removals

The new case contends that there are several issues regarding the New Zealand government’s response to climate change.

One of the key arguments the plaintiffs make is that New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan, which covers the period from 2026-30, is overreliant on the use of tree-planting to achieve its targets.

When the plan was released in December 2024, it was “immediately clear that it was a pretty lacklustre plan”, Eliza Prestidge Oldfield, senior legal researcher at the Environmental Law Initiative, one of the groups behind the legal case, told Carbon Brief.

The plan called for large-scale planting of pine tree plantations, which are not native to New Zealand and have a high risk of burning. Because of this, there are concerns about how permanent any carbon removal provided by these plantations actually can be, experts told Carbon Brief.

Catherine Higham, senior policy fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment who was not involved in the case, said:

“The lawyers are arguing that there are real challenges with equating the emissions that you may be able to remove from the atmosphere through afforestation with actual emissions reductions, which are much more certain.”

‘Global dialogue’

While other climate lawsuits elsewhere in the world have also focused on the inadequacy of a government’s plan to meet its stated emissions-reduction targets, this is the first such case that addresses the role of removals head-on.

Lucy Maxwell, co-director of the Climate Litigation Network, told Carbon Brief that the lawsuit “builds on a decade of climate litigation” in national, regional and international courts.

Maxwell, who was not involved in the New Zealand case, added that there is a “real global dialogue” between, not just plaintiffs, but national courts as well. She said:

“[National courts] look to common issues that have been decided in other countries. They’re not binding on that court if it’s at the national level, but they are influential.”

Given that many other countries have legal frameworks requiring their governments to create plans outlining the pathway to their long-term climate targets, Prestidge Oldfield told Carbon Brief that other jurisdictions “should be interested in these questions around the level of certainty”.

Higham noted that, even if the case is successful, addressing the plan’s shortfalls will face its own set of challenges. She told Carbon Brief:

“A lot of these decisions are political and they can be politically contentious…Those [measures] have to be put into action through legislation and that is then subject to the usual political process. So that’s where the challenge comes in.”

While she could not speculate on the outcome of the case, Prestidge Oldfield said it was “very heartening” to see that both the judge and the opposing counsel “appreciated how much of a concern climate change is globally”.

She added:

“It’s not a given that the judge would even be interested in climate change.”

Watch, read, listen

COMMON APPROACH: The Heated podcast analysed fossil-fuel advertisements and highlighted the most common deception tactics they employed.

THREAT ASSESSMENT: Mongabay mapped the potential threat that oil extraction poses to Venezuela’s ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest and its coral reefs.

SALT LAKES? GREAT!: High Country News interviewed journalist Dr Caroline Tracey about her new book on saline lakes – such as Utah’s Great Salt Lake – the threats that face them and what they can teach us.

Coming up

23 March-2 April: Third meeting of the preparatory commission for the High Seas Treaty, New York
24-27 March: 64th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Bangkok
26-29 March: 14th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization, Yaoundé, Cameroon

Pick of the jobs

International Centre of Research for the Environment and Development (CIRAD), IPCC chapter scientist | Salary: €3,200-3,750 per month. Location: Nogent-sur-Marne, France
Avaaz, chief of staff | Salary: Dependent on location. Location: Remote, with preferred time zones
Green Party, social media officer | Salary: £31,592-£32,192. Location: Remote or Westminster, UK

DeBriefed is edited by Daisy Dunne. Please send any tips or feedback to debriefed@carbonbrief.org.

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