Indigenous peoples' rights are not always respected in the green transition

When governmental authorities and companies initiate projects within renewable energy and green transition, they often affect indigenous people and their living areas. Even though the actors are obligated to respect human rights and consider the perspectives of local populations, they are often not heard when decisions impacting them are made.

"In indigenous communities worldwide, their territories are disproportionately targeted for mining and the construction of large energy infrastructure projects. They are often economically and politically marginalized, complicating their ability to challenge the projects," says Ilse Renkens, who has just completed a Ph.D. on the subject.

She explains that indigenous people generally experience increased vulnerability to the consequences of climate change. Despite governmental authorities and corporate actors being obligated to respect the rights of indigenous people, they are often excluded from decision-making processes that affect them, both globally, nationally, and locally.

"In my dissertation, I investigate this gap between rights on paper and rights in practice. Indigenous people and their knowledge are kept out of decision-making processes, which can be due to lack of knowledge, but can also be politically and economically motivated. It can also result from not recognizing their status as indigenous people, or that engaging in the processes requires time, expertise, and money, which indigenous people may not necessarily have," Ilse Renkens explains.
 

Same issues in Kenya and Sweden

Through the study of two large onshore wind projects (Lake Turkana Wind Power project (LTWP) in Marsabit County, Kenya, and the Markbygden project in Norrbotten, Sweden), Ilse Renkens has examined how key actors in these projects understand and challenge the rights of indigenous people.

"Even though there are differences between the projects, there are also several similarities. The affected indigenous people in Sweden and Kenya depend on undisturbed grazing areas for their animals, and the populations have expressed their resistance to the large wind projects implemented without their prior and informed consent," says Ilse Renkens.

According to the researcher, companies and governmental actors often challenge the frameworks of the rights of indigenous people, and conflicts continue even after the rights have been institutionalized in treaties, declarations, or business standards. Disagreements often break out during project implementation, leading to different practices in the field.

"In my dissertation, I conclude that the recognition of indigenous people does not necessarily ensure that their rights are respected. Neither in the global south nor north can we take for granted that companies and governmental authorities fulfill their obligations. Indigenous people must constantly fight to gain respect for their rights from states and corporate actors," she says.