G20’s green transition depends on protecting Indigenous rights

The document asserts that the green transition is currently acting as a vehicle for "green colonialism," where Indigenous rights are sidelined for profit and development. It highlights a gap between policy ambitions and reality, citing the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act and the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam in Brazil as examples of failures to protect Indigenous communities. The author argues that upholding Indigenous rights is a pragmatic necessity, as Indigenous Peoples are increasingly using legal actions to stop or delay projects. In Sweden, 42 court cases involving Sámi herding communities are influencing wind energy developers to seek consent more proactively, while the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has tracked 60 global legal cases against renewable energy projects brought by Indigenous communities.

• The green transition is frequently experienced by local and Indigenous communities as "green colonialism," characterized by land destruction, human rights violations, and profit-driven motives.
• There is a significant discrepancy between constitutional rights and actual policy implementation, with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Critical Raw Materials Act largely ignoring Indigenous rights.
• The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam in Brazil serves as an example of a green energy project implemented top-down despite Indigenous objections, leading to severe declines in living conditions in Altamira and damage to the Xingu River basin.
• Indigenous communities are increasingly using legal and public protests to obstruct unsanctioned development, which can lead to investors withdrawing from projects where consent was not secured.
• Legal challenges are driving industry changes; in Sweden, at least 42 court cases involving Sámi herding communities are pushing wind energy developers to be more proactive in seeking consent, while 60 legal cases against renewable energy projects have been tracked globally by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.

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} }