Indigenous Peoples in the Renewable Energy Transition: Protest, Contestation, and the Potential of Improved Deliberation

This policy brief from the Peace Research Institute Oslo examines how large-scale renewable energy projects, particularly wind and solar, often violate the rights of Indigenous Peoples, reproducing colonial patterns of resource extraction termed 'green colonialism'. The authors argue that a just energy transition requires the recognition of Indigenous self-determination and the strict application of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).

• Large-scale renewable energy projects frequently reproduce (neo-) colonial patterns of resource extraction, a phenomenon described as 'green colonialism', where Indigenous rights are neglected in favor of economic growth and energy production.
• Between 2010 and 2021, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre documented over 200 allegations related to renewable energy projects, including land and water grabs and Indigenous rights violations. Additionally, 369 attacks occurred against human rights defenders raising concerns about renewable energy between 2015 and 2021.
• The principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), enshrined in the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 1989 ILO Convention 169, is often ignored or contested by states and companies who are reluctant to recognize community veto rights.
• In Kenya, the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project in Marsabit County has faced accusations of land-grabbing and violating customary land rights of Indigenous pastoralists. In 2021, the Kenyan Environment and Land Court in Meru ruled that 607 km2 of title deeds were unlawfully allocated to the project.
• In Norway, the Fosen Wind Park was found by the Supreme Court in 2021 to have violated the rights of Sámi reindeer herders to practice their culture, rendering the licensing invalid; however, the turbines remained operational two years after the ruling.
• Indigenous communities have utilized various forms of resistance, including strategic litigation, civil disobedience, and lobbying. In Colombia, protests by Wayúu communities in Maicao and Uribia led the utility Enel to indefinitely suspend a planned wind park.
• Environmental and land defenders face extreme risks; Global Witness reported 1,910 such defenders killed worldwide between 2012 and 2022, with Indigenous people making up over a third of victims despite being only 6% of the global population.
• To ensure a just transition, the authors recommend recognizing Indigenous rights to self-determination, respecting FPIC (including legal veto rights), implementing Indigenous-led environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and enabling Indigenous ownership of energy projects.

APA

Hobi, A.-S., & McNeish, J.-A. (2024). Indigenous Peoples in the Renewable Energy Transition: Protest, Contestation, and the Potential of Improved Deliberation. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8c230270-34df-4f86-8332-1b12e59749dc/PRIO Policy Brief 04-2024.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Hobi, Anna-Sophie, and John-Andrew McNeish. Indigenous Peoples in the Renewable Energy Transition: Protest, Contestation, and the Potential of Improved Deliberation. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2024. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8c230270-34df-4f86-8332-1b12e59749dc/PRIO Policy Brief 04-2024.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hobi |first1=Anna-Sophie |last2=McNeish |first2=John-Andrew |title=Indigenous Peoples in the Renewable Energy Transition: Protest, Contestation, and the Potential of Improved Deliberation |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=April 2024 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8c230270-34df-4f86-8332-1b12e59749dc/PRIO Policy Brief 04-2024.pdf?inline=true |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hobi2024indigenous, author = {Hobi, Anna-Sophie and McNeish, John-Andrew}, title = {{Indigenous Peoples in the Renewable Energy Transition: Protest, Contestation, and the Potential of Improved Deliberation}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8c230270-34df-4f86-8332-1b12e59749dc/PRIO Policy Brief 04-2024.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }