Clean Development Mechanism
The purpose of the Clean Development Mechanism CDM, as defined in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol, is to support developing countries in their efforts to achieve sustainable
development and in contributing to the overall objective of the UNFCCC. Specifically, the Kyoto Protocol, in Article 12, calls on developed countries to implement project activities in
developing countries, in order to reduce their emissions and to enhance their carbon storage capacities. These certified emission reductions CER generated by such project activities can
be used by developed country Parties to meet their own emission reduction commitments agreed to under the Kyoto Protocol.
These mitigation efforts have driven indigenous and traditional peoples’ spokespeople to adopt a defensive position as they fear expropriation of their lands, displacement or loss of
biological diversity and self-determination through project activities for emission reduction, e.g. afforestation and reforestation or plantations for the production of biofuels. In the
Declaration of the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of Tropical Forests
2005 to the COP 11 and
MOP 1
of the UNFCCC in Canada in 2005, they criticised that:
The modalities and procedures for activities under the Clean Development Mechanisms CDM do not respect and guarantee our right to lands, territories, and self-determination. CDM and Sinks
projects do not contribute to climate change mitigation and sustainable development
and in the Declaration of the Sixth International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change
prepared by indigenous peoples’ representatives for the 9th COP meeting held in
Milan in 2003 they requested that
The Clean Development Mechanism CDM and Joint Implementation JI must incorporate principles which address transparency, free, prior and informed consent and equitable benefit
sharing with Indigenous Peoples in order to accomplish the objectives of lowering greenhouse gas emissions and achieving sustainable development in developed and developing countries
Klimabuendnis, 2003
.
1.3 IPCC 2007 Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptations and Vulnerability
The IPCC 2007 Fourth Assessment Report IPCC, 2007 is structured into three main parts. Part I of the report gives an overview about observed impacts of climate change on the natural
and human environment and about new assessment methods and the characterisation of future conditions; Part II features current knowledge about future impacts of climate change on a
global scale and across the regions, and Part III of the report provides information about current knowledge about responding to climate change.
Compared to the IPCC Third Assessment Report 2001, which included very scarce mention of indigenous and traditional peoples and the importance of their own capacity to adapt to
climate change, the fourth Assessment Report puts a lot more emphasis on indigenous and traditional peoples, especially those living in Polar Regions, North America and Australia and
New Zealand.
Part I
of the report reveals that indigenous peoples’ livelihoods, especially of those living in the Arctic, have already been altered. For example, changes in the cryosphere led to
changes in the migration patterns, health, and range of animals and plants on which they depend for their livelihood and cultural identity.
11
Given the fact that adaptation to climate change already is happening, the authors urge the climate change research community to further study indigenous knowledge systems which
could prove to be valuable sources of information for Climate Change Impact, Adaptation and Vulnerability CCIAV assessments.
Part II
points out that on a global scale indigenous peoples with limited adaptive capacity as a result of their dependency on natural resources and their limited information access should
be specifically considered in climate change research and policy making processes as they are expected to be disproportionately affected by climate change impacts including health risks,
sea level rise, environmental hazards, etc. Furthermore, the authors emphasise that indigenous practices such as sustainable water use systems, traditional coastal management or erosion
control should be promoted. On a regional scale, the report specifically focuses on the fate of indigenous peoples living in
North America, Australia and New Zealand and the Polar Regions. In the chapter on Africa, the use of indigenous knowledge in mitigation and adaptation is described in several case
studies. Very little mention is given to indigenous peoples living in small island states and to Andean communities, and no specific mention is made of indigenous peoples living in the
Amazon or Asia, which are also areas highly vulnerable to climate change and of high cultural diversity see maps in chapter four. As far as small islands states are concerned,
indigenous and traditional knowledge systems are only mentioned in relation to the conservation of the bumphead parrotfish in the waters surrounding the Solomon Islands, while
no reference is given to the importance of traditional coastal management systems as an important strategy to cope with sea level rise. In Latin America, indigenous and traditional
peoples are only mentioned in the context of traditional, pre-Columbian coping strategies with scarce and unpredictable water resources in the Andes.
In Part III it is again pointed out that vulnerability to climate change differs considerably across socio-economic groups and that indigenous communities who are already affected by
other stresses are considered as being specifically vulnerable. In the closing chapter of the report the authors advocate for the promotion of innovative technology in response to climate
change impacts, while at the same time, they warn that improved technology may also have negative implications, and could, in the worst case, lead to a loss of indigenous cultures, as it
did occur in the past, e.g. through the green revolution. They therefore recommend including local and indigenous knowledge in adaptation and sustainability research and in the process of
public policy making to respond to climate change.
1.4 Stern Review on the economics of climate change - 2006
