Last year the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, both the U.S. and Canada voted against it. While it is significant that the international community (supported by the majority of the worlds peoples) have come to understand indigenous peoples' right to protect their lands and preserve their traditional lifestyles, most of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples continue to face destructive policies at the hands of corporations and the governments that they own
Ben Powless, a Mohawk Indian from the United States who works with the Indigenous Environment Network thinks U.S. and Canadian governments will continue to be hostile to indigenous rights unless a majority of their citizens are informed enough to hold those accountable who play a powerful role in shaping public policy.
"The wider public must understand indigenous peoples' rights and concerns," he said. "They must act to protect them because as the most marginalised group in this world, it spells out how the rest of us will be treated, and is also the surest way to protect our last remaining ecosystems."
Halder Rizvi agrees with Powless and she points out:
"Many climate change scientists share this view. They think the indigenous peoples can play a vital role in preserving biodiversity and the planet's resources because they live in close proximity with nature."
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