Climate Change, Inequality, & Indigenous Communities in Canada

Introduction

Climate change is already having major impacts on the entire global economy, but Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected despite their low contributions to global GHG emissions (Alexander et al., 2011). This results in negative effects on their opportunities to exercise their constitutional rights, including but not limited to cultural, social, political, and economic inherent rights (Lynn et al., 2011; Redvers et al., 2023). In this short commentary, we will summarize some of these major impacts and focus on the economics of these impacts on Indigenous communities.

Economical Impacts on Indigenous Communities

Food & Water

Indigenous peoples in Canada are known to experience inflated levels of poverty. The average income of an Indigenous person is 25% less than the average Canadian’s income, and the average income of an Indigenous person living on a reserve is 50% less (Hillel 2020). This decreased economic power, due to historical and continuous colonial institutions, already exposes Indigenous peoples to additional climate change risk (Brittain & Blackstock, 2015; United Nations, General Assembly, Third Committee, 2022). Furthermore, despite Canada having the third largest stock of freshwater in the world, Indigenous communities have unduly low access to clean drinking water (The World Bank 2020; Government of Canada, 2024). For example, about 70% of First Nations in Ontario had at least one drinking water advisory between 2004 and 2013 (Lucier et al., 2020). Water scarcity is predicted to increase with climate change, potentially aggravating this pivotal concern despite Government efforts (Baggio et al., 2021; Bhargava & Bhargava, 2023; Government of Canada, 2024; White et al., 2012).

Land

Additionally, Indigenous peoples in Canada tend to have an enhanced relationship with the land, and while they have shown tremendous resilience and adaptation to disruption and changes in the land base, the exponential increase in these changes also increases their climate change risk (Ford et al., 2020; Johnston & Spring, 2021; Lynn et al., 2011; Zavaleta-Cortijo et al., 2020). For example, fisheries are a foundational resource to Indigenous peoples in B.C., but fisheries are predicted to experience declines between 15% to 28% (depending on RCP pathways) due to increasing temperatures, ocean acidification, and drought (First Nations Fisheries Council of British Columbia, n.d.). Most research has concentrated on the economic impacts of large-scale fisheries, but this will also result in lower food and economic security, especially for subsistence-based communities (Weatherdon et al., 2016). Moreover, northern Indigenous communities are at higher risk of food insecurity due to magnified warming effects and reliance on the land (Johnston & Spring, 2021).

Natural Disasters

Meanwhile, economic opportunities are lost while trying to mitigate natural disasters related to climate change, as these events are often unpredictable. During the 2017 ‘Mega’ Wildfires, the Bonaparte Band spent over $600,000, and the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation spent $400,000 on wildfire equipment and operations within their Bands’ territory (Dickson-Hoyle and John 2021; Kane, 2018). Additionally, Bonaparte relies on the forestry industry for economic gain and opportunity and felt major losses post-wildfire due to damage and tree mortality. On top of that, they spent tens of thousands of dollars rehabilitating a burnt archeology site (Dickson-Hoyle & John, 2021). The small town of Lytton burnt to the ground in 2021, destroying 90% of the structures; almost two years later, rebuilding was still causing economic strain among many community members (Partlow, 2022). Additionally, it was found that almost $27,946,030 was the direct cost of the decimation of Lytton and that 38% of business owners have had no revenue since the fire (see Table 1) (O’Leary and Associates, 2023).

First Nation communities are heavily impacted by climate-change-related events, specifically wildfire activities. In 2023 alone, more than 42% of evacuations due to wildfire were from predominately Indigenous communities (Webber & Berger, 2021). Indigenous Peoples have used traditional food systems since time immemorial, fulfilling an integral way of life and well-being as they provide cultural, spiritual, and physical needs (Redvers et al., 2023). Food systems and traditional medicines have been greatly impacted by climate change and its related effects, resulting in food insecurity and uncertainty for many Indigenous Peoples and their communities. Communities have spoken out post-fire, voicing their concerns about their traditional harvesting and hunting grounds (Dickson-Hoyle & John, 2021; McKay, 2023).

Table 1: Impact of Wildfire on Business Revenues in Lytton & Region — Survey Response Distribution

Note. Data from pie charts created by O’Leary and Associates Ltd. (2023).

Conclusion

The economics of climate change’s impact on Indigenous peoples in Canada requires an increase in data collection and research; however, it is evident that they will be disproportionately affected. Further investigation and solutions must be done in collaboration with Indigenous people and their traditional knowledge, which has already been paramount in adapting to climatic changes (Alexander et al., 2011; Johnston & Spring, 2021). Larissa Crawford put it best in her interview with the Pembina Institute (2022): “The physical consequences of environment and climate change cannot be removed from the social and political implications and causes. Climate justice means that climate action done on any of the globe’s Indigenous lands must centre Indigenous peoples’ knowledge systems and sovereignty.”

Media Attributions

Figure 1: “Include women and Indigenous people in the fight against the climate crisis” by Roberta Scalise (2021), via Open Democracy, is used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

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