Indigenous values key for climate crisis response – REMI Network

September 30, 2024

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a renowned Inuk activist and former chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), recently said, “Indigenous knowledge and wisdom is the medicine the world seeks.”

She was speaking during an online event last week, hosted by law firm Gowling WLG, in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Over the years, Watt-Cloutier has influenced the dialogue about Indigenous rights and climate action. She has also been significantly vocal about the impacts of climate change on Arctic communities, while fighting for environmental injustice on a global front.

She described how Indigenous peoples, “the ground truthers,” have long experienced changes to the climate. As they rely on a deep partnership with nature, the wellbeing of the earth affects their food sources and teachings.

“The ice is our lifeforce,” she said of the Arctic. “It’s our transportation that takes us out to our environment, not just for our food source, but for the training. Our younger generations learn so much about themselves when they’re out there in nature.”