G20’s green transition depends on protecting Indigenous rights

A statement from the Stockholm Environment Institute arguing that the G20's green transition requires the protection of Indigenous rights and the implementation of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) to avoid legal, financial, and reputational risks.

• Indigenous communities are experiencing the green transition as "green colonialism," characterized by profit-driven motives, land destruction, and human rights violations.
• There is a significant gap between policy ambitions and reality regarding Indigenous rights, as seen in the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Critical Raw Materials Act, which largely ignore these rights.
• The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam in Brazil serves as an example of a green energy project implemented top-down despite Indigenous objections, resulting in devastating impacts on the Xingu River basin and living conditions in Altamira.
• Failure to secure Indigenous consent leads to strategic and financial risks, including legal challenges and investor withdrawal. In Sweden, there are at least 42 active court cases involving Sámi herding communities and land-use decisions, while the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has tracked 60 legal cases against renewable energy projects globally, mostly led by Indigenous communities.
• The T20 Communiqué's proposal to safeguard the right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is a welcome step, but G20 leaders must translate this into concrete action within their own countries and for their multinational companies.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2024). G20’s green transition depends on protecting Indigenous rights. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/g20s-green-transition-depends-on-protecting-indigenous-rights/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. G20’s green transition depends on protecting Indigenous rights. 2024. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/g20s-green-transition-depends-on-protecting-indigenous-rights/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=G20’s green transition depends on protecting Indigenous rights |date=15 November 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/g20s-green-transition-depends-on-protecting-indigenous-rights/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2024g20s, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{G20’s green transition depends on protecting Indigenous rights}}, publisher = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/g20s-green-transition-depends-on-protecting-indigenous-rights/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }