Exploring the challenges and opportunities of renewable energy on Indigenous land, highlighting the importance of a just transition and empowering tribal communities. Delving into the hurdles faced by tribes in collaborating for sustainable energy projects and the potential for clean energy to align with native ethos. Embracing solar power initiatives within tribes and discussing the complexities of transitioning away from fossil fuels to prioritize people and the planet over profit.
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Quick takeaways
Indigenous tribes need fair access to renewable energy projects and must be involved in decision-making processes.
A just transition includes prioritizing right relationships with indigenous communities and ensuring economic benefits.
Deep dives
Different needs of Indigenous communities for a just transition
Indigenous communities have different needs when it comes to a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. These communities have diverse experiences shaped by colonization and mistreatment by the US government. Many tribes have faced resource extraction from their lands, leaving behind environmental devastation. The historical backdrop has created wariness among tribes to partner with outsiders, even for non-extractive renewable energy projects. Additionally, some tribes face energy poverty, with a lack of access to electricity. A just transition must consider these varying needs and include indigenous people in the decision-making process.
Meaning of a just transition and right relationship
A just transition means different things to different people. It involves transitioning away from fossil fuels and towards alternative energy sources in a way that is fair and inclusive, prioritizing the well-being of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Indigenous people emphasize the concept of being in right relationship with one another and nature. This means acknowledging the responsibility to care for each other and the environment. A just transition should encompass right relationship principles, ensuring that decisions are made collaboratively, with Native people having a seat at the table, building and owning the projects, and benefiting economically from them.
Challenges and opportunities for tribes in renewable energy development
Indigenous tribes face challenges in developing large-scale wind or solar farms due to financial limitations and energy poverty. Many tribes lack the capital to independently develop such projects, even though their lands have ample wind and sun resources. Accessing funding and overcoming systemic barriers is vital. However, tribes recognize the opportunities presented by solar energy, which represents a low-cost form of renewable energy generation. With tribes controlling a significant portion of land in the US, there is great potential for solar development on tribal lands. Partnerships, direct pay, and tax incentives can help protect tribal interests and boost economic development in indigenous communities.
The need for inclusive and Indigenous-led conversations
Reaching a just transition requires recognizing and upholding indigenous rights and involving marginalized communities from the beginning. Native people and other marginalized groups should be part of the planning and decision-making processes, with their perspectives and traditional knowledge considered equal to Western technologies and wisdom. Governments must meet tribes where they are and prioritize partnerships that are built on trust and respect. The current focus is on eliminating systemic barriers and ensuring that tribes have the capacity and ability to successfully carry out renewable energy projects. Meaningful dialogue and stronger relationships based on inclusivity and diversity will lead to a more equitable and sustainable energy transition.
We often talk about a “just transition” from dirty to clean energy as if the term means the same thing to everyone. Indigenous people have seen their resources extracted and exploited to further the wealth of others for centuries. Now renewable energy is looking to expand to Indigenous land.
How can renewable energy help Tribes leapfrog the twentieth century technologies that put them at the end of the line for corporate-controlled electricity? How can we, as Chéri Smith, Founder of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, says, “make sure that Tribes are not only having a seat at the table, but they're building the table and inviting everyone else to it?”
Guests:
Chéri Smith, President & CEO, Founder at Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy
Steven Wadsworth, Vice Chairman, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
This episode was produced in collaboration with On Shifting Ground with Ray Suarez, featuring Suarez as a guest host. Additionally, Sarah Howard provides field reporting.