Rio Tinto's Engagement With Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic

4min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Kate pointed to an initiative her group participated in that aimed to protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska from energy development. Kate also gave some examples where engagement by Indigenous peoples with investors and companies have had a positive impact. We just heard Kate mention what happened at Jugon Gorge. So I reached out to my company Rio Tinto for comment and a spokesperson sent me a statement saying they are committed to ensuring cultural heritage is respected, valued and conserved for future generations. They said: "We know it will take time to transform our culture and regain trust"

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we explore how Indigenous communities are engaging with companies, financial institutions and investors to ensure a just transition to a low-carbon economy. We speak to Kate Finn, Executive Director of First Peoples Worldwide, an Indigenous-led organization that aims to increase corporate accountability to Indigenous peoples at the intersection of business, law and finance.

Kate says companies are starting to realize that their operational areas often overlap with the lands, territories and resources of Indigenous peoples.

"In the last three or four years, there is incredible interest from the private sector in understanding not only their Indigenous rights risk exposure, but how to operationalize Indigenous rights in their companies and in their processes," she tells us.

And we speak to Kevin Thomas, CEO of the Shareholder Association for Research and Education, or SHARE, a shareholder advocacy organization for institutional investors in Canada. The group is part of the secretariat behind an institutional investor engagement initiative called Climate Engagement Canada, which drives dialogue between finance and industry to promote a just transition to a net-zero economy. The CEC is undertaking a climate benchmarking exercise aimed at enabling members to engage with Canadian companies on their net-zero transition plans. The benchmarking exercise includes a metric on how companies are considering Indigenous rights in their low-carbon transition plans.

Kevin says companies in Canada tend to approach Indigenous rights as separate from climate change. He hopes the CEC and its benchmarking exercise will "bring those two worlds together."

"If there's an issue, if there's an impact, we should be getting to the table together to figure out how to mitigate it," he says.

Listen to our episode about the UN's biodiversity conference known as COP15 here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/on-the-ground-at-cop15-how-business-is-getting-to-grips-with-biodiversity

Photo source: Getty Images

DISCLAIMER

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.

S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.