Testimonies
Across the world minority and indigenous communities are facing the severe consequences of climate change.
'Mother nature is very confused' - Adelard Blackmard, Buffalo River Dene Nation, Canada
“We have to recognize what mother earth is telling, mother earth is telling us she has had enough but nobody will listen. We have to find a way to deal with that and part of that is creating an awareness that as indigenous people, may be, we have the solution – if you listen.” Read the testimony of Adelard Blackmard of the Buffalo River Dene Nation in Canada
'Because of climate change mountains are crumbling' – Paiwan community activist, Taiwan
‘Most serious problem is that these couple of years there have been typhoons, earthquakes and higher temperature. Because of climate change mountains are crumbling, the river has changed the way it is going, the village could disappear and be destroyed.” Read the testimony of Tung Chun-fa, of the Paiwan community in Taiwan
'It is not just that we lose people we are losing communities' - Alaskan Inuit leader
The Arctic keeps hitting the headlines as the part of the world most affected by climate change. The Inuit are Eskimos who live in the Arctic. Patricia Cochran, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) discusses the severe impact of climate change on communities in the Arctic and explains how indigenous peoples tradition knowledge may provide some answers. Read the testimony of Patricia Cochran
'Climate change will create a socio-economic crisis' - Sereivuth Erak, Khmer Krom people, South Vietnam
‘We are concerned about climate change because we live in low lying land, so just like Maldives, if it happens like predicted, the water level rises, the delta may be flooded.” Read the testimony of Sereivuth Erak, Khmer Krom people, South Vietnam
'People are starving, we need our traditional way of life' - Gamo tribal elder, Ethiopia
“In the past nature and humans were very close. When we pray it rains and as we make a prayer our land yields good. The climate is changing now, now we are starving, we need our traditional way of life, it keeps a relationship with nature.” Read the testimony of Mazge Gazeto, tribal elder of the Gamo people in Ethiopia
'This is the earth's reaction to what people are doing around the world' - Alexandra Grigorieva, Sakha people, Siberia
‘The ice we are used to has melted and we face big problems that we have not faced before. We have this problem with animals, the animals can’t live in the same condition anymore, Bears that are used to very cold temperatures need to move and they don’t know where to move as the environment is changing. The climate is changing completely, where it used to be cold it is warm and the earth is changing and I believe it is changing because of the Great Spirit.” Read the testimony of Alexandra Grigorieva
'If the water disappears our Gods are gone' - Juan Carlos Jintiach, Shuar people, Ecuador
‘Indigenous elders are seeing that something is going on. Some areas where there is low land water is getting inundated this never happen before. The sun is usually shines for 4-6 days, now it does not rain for almost a month and this is in the rain forest. We need some answers for that.” Read the testimony of Juan Carlos Jintiach, of the Shuar people in Ecuador
'Enormous environmental changes have occurred in Karamoja' – Michael Kuskus, Karamoja, Uganda
Michael Kuskus is a pastoralist from the Karamoja province in northeastern Uganda, and the head of the Karamoja Agro-Pastoral Development Programme. His community is already working out ways to adapt to climate change. Read the testimony of Michael Kuskus
'We are under threat of extinction' – Christiana Sairi Louwa, El Molo, Kenya
The heat has been so severe that we have lost a lot of grazing pastures. Poverty has intensified... We are under threat of extinction. Where do people go? They are not accustomed to living in highlands, they don’t know farming, they only fish and keep livestock. If the situation doesn’t change we could be extinct.” Read the testimony of Christiana Saiti Louwa, of the El Molo people in northern Kenya
'The Greenland ice cap is melting very fast' - Aqqualuk Lynge, Inuit, Greenland
Aqqualuk Lynge is a leader of Greenland’s Inuit people. The Inuit – and other Arctic indigenous groups – have campaigned internationally to draw attention to the dramatic impact of global warming on their natural environment. Read the testimony of Aqqualuk Lynge
'Bio-fuels are making our peoples' life worse' – Abdon Nababan, Batak people, Indonesia
In 2007 the UN’s main body against racism – the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) – expressed concern over plans to create oil palm plantations -for bio-fuels - on indigenous lands. The Committee asked the Indonesian government to consult with communities before going ahead with the project. Bio-fuel is being heralded as one of the main solutions to climate change but many indigenous communities are losing their lands to bio-fuel plantations. Abdon Nababan of the Aliansi Masyarakan Adat Nusantara (AMAN), an indigenous network in Indonesia, discusses these issues with MRG.
'Disease spreading because of climate change' – Abera Ogato, Gamo people, Ethiopia
“Our crops are highly affected by disease, it was very common in the low lands but now the disease is moving up because of climate change. Live stock diseases are more common these days but this was not the case in the past.” Read the testimony of Abera Ogato, of the Gamo people in Ethiopia
'Don't wait to get taught' – 'Don't wait to get taught' – Anna Pinto, Meitei, India
India’s indigenous Meitei community has been feeling the impact of climate change for nearly two decades. Meitei people have a spiritual relationship with their land and the environment around them. The rivers and waterfalls are their Goddesses. Anna Pinto talks to Farah Mihlar about the community and the effects of climate change.
'This is a critical situation, practically the same as genocide' - Colombian Nasa representative
Aparicio Rios is an indigenous activist from Colombia’s Nasa people and leader of the Cauca Indigenous Regional Council (CRIC). Here, he outlines the effects of oil palm production – seen as a more ‘eco-friendly’ fuel alternative – on marginalized communities.
'The tides are higher now by the day' - Rakhain fisherman, Bangladesh
U-Sa-Chi-Master is a fisherman from the Bay of Bengal. He is the head of Kansai Na Pyo Roa, one of the few minority Rakhain villages in the south of Bangladesh. His community is already experiencing the dramatic effects of climate change. Read the testimony of U-Sa-Chi-Master