CAP: Climate Disaster in South America Threatens Environmental and Indigenous Rights
Press Release
September 3, 2019 (Ottawa, ON) – In solidarity with the Indigenous people of South America, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) is calling on Canada and Brazil to stop the devastating wildfires in the Amazon, and to respect the rights of Indigenous people in Brazil.
The Amazon rainforest is a vital global carbon sink, a source of much of the Earth’s oxygen and the home of irreplaceable biodiversity. Over 80,000 fires have been set, destroying tens of thousands of hectares of forest, part of a deliberate campaign of deforestation to clear land for agriculture and mining.
The Brazilian Amazon is also home to hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people, and hundreds of nations whose traditional territories and way of life are now threatened by the fires. According to Amnesty International, Indigenous nations have been the targets of arson and land invasions by pro-development interests hoping to seize their territory, supported by the Brazilian government of Jair Bolsonaro.
Canada has offered $15 million in aid to help fight the fires in the Amazon, but getting technical resources to where they are needed is only part of the picture. Canada must continue to work with international partners to promote respect for Indigenous rights, environmental protection, and sustainable economic practices.
“If Canada wants to protect global climate security, we must protect Indigenous human rights in South America,” says National Chief Robert Bertrand, “the two issues are inseparable. Ensure that their rights, enshrined under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, are respected, and you support the forest’s stewards. This campaign to rob Indigenous people of their land is a campaign to steal the forest from the world. We call on Canada to prioritize these concerns on the world stage.”
With the United Nations Climate Action summit and the High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development approaching, CAP is hopeful that Canada will make clear the connection between Indigenous human rights and the survival of the planet.
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Associated links
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49507405
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/08/amazon-fires-indigenous-lands/596908/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/08/brazil-government-failures-are-fueling-
wildfires-across-the-amazon/
For media interviews please contact:
Jessica Dawson, Executive Assistant
613-747-6022
j.dawson@abo-peoples.org
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