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53 Wake Forest L. Rev. 713 (2018)
Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, and the Global Climate Crisis

handle is hein.journals/wflr53 and id is 745 raw text is: HUMAN RIGHTS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, AND THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS M. Alexander Pearl* 'We are standing alone to try and survive. -Lucy Adams, a Kivalina elder1 The social conflict that will erupt in the forests, should our peoples have no rights to defend themselves, will exact tremendous economic harm, as our forests are our homes, our lives, our culture, and the heart of our spirituality. We will not go quietly, and neither should you. -Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples2 The global climate crisis is an ongoing event the likes of which we have yet to experience. The science is clear, the phenomenon is traceable, and the effects are far-reaching. But, the consequences of the climate crisis affect particular populations more so than others, and often times the affected populations are voiceless. Among those most impacted are indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples stand in a unique place in the context of climate change. In general, indigenous peoples have a comprehensive relationship with their place and surroundings, which incorporates culture, livelihood, economy, and a defining sense of self. Land and resources are not simply commodities to be bought and sold, but they function to give us our stories, directions, and identity. With * Professor, Texas Tech University, School of Law. Enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. I would like to thank both the outgoing and incoming boards of the Wake Forest Law Review for their hard work, cooperation, and professionalism. In particular, Ashley Barton and Hailey Cleek. I also am indebted to Prof. John H. Knox, for the opportunity to contribute an indigenous perspective on the intersection of human rights and climate change. I wish to also thank the indigenous scholars, elders, and advocates across the world for their inspiration. All errors are my own. 1. Marissa Knodel, Conceptualizing Climate Justice in Kivalina, 37 SEATTLE U. L. REV. 1179, 1180 (2014). 2. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Removing Rights for Indigenous Peoples Places Forests, Climate Plan at Risk, VICTORIA TAULI-CORPUZ (Dec. 7, 2015), http://unsr.vtaulicorpuz.org/site/index.php/en/statements/106-statement-cop21.

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