Everyone deserves access to power and every community should have homes that are climate resilient. 

It is crucial to question who has the authority to mandate renewable energy projects and who their beneficiaries are. In the energy field, power has remained, for the most part, in the hands of settler nations institutions and private energy companies. Although renewable energy resources are mostly located on Indigenous traditional territories, not all Indigenous communities benefit from the energy transition. The fact that Indigenous peoples are given only a limited voice or power over the transformation of their ancestral territories puts them in a particularly challenging position regarding their participation in the energy transition. Indeed, defending their interests is complex, due to the vagueness and ambiguity surrounding the question of Indigenous national sovereignty and self-determination in Australia and Canada.

This paper, A just energy transition for Indigenous peoples: From ideal deliberation to fairness in Canada and Australia (published 2024), by Fabienne Rioux-Gobeil and Annick Thomassin from the Australian National University, considers who benefits from energy projects and who bears the consequences.

Read the paper

Thanks for use of the photo Karsten Würth 

As the world seeks to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel production and consumption to mitigate the impacts of climate change, communities that rely on coal, oil, and natural gas production as economic drivers are likely to face challenges.

Although extensive work has identified pathways towards a “just transition” in numerous contexts, very little has been written to understand the opportunities and challenges for fossil fuel-producing Native nations in a transition towards a net-zero emissions future.

In theory, Native American nations have control over the decisions that shape their energy futures because of their sovereign status. In practice, however, numerous factors limit the exercise of that sovereignty.

In this review, we assess the major barriers to tribal energy sovereignty, discuss historical and ongoing efforts to secure it, and highlight the tools that can further ensure the exercise of tribal energy sovereignty in the context of an energy transition. We also discuss recent policy developments and identify cases where Native nations are taking innovative approaches to govern the future of energy development on their lands.

Authors: Daniel Raimi, Alana Davicino, Securing energy sovereignty: A review of key barriers and opportunities for energy-producing Native nations in the United States, Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 107, 2024

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The First Nations Clean Energy Network recently participated in a workshop reviewing how Australia could achieve a more coherent energy transition. A number of recommendations came out of it.

This Just Transition Guide shares the stories of First Nations communities leading the way on renewable energy in the transition away from fossil fuels. The clean energy transition has opportunities and impacts that need to be understood so we don't replicate the legacy of harm perpetuated from the previous energy era. 

Read the Just Transition Guide

The Guide was produced by Sacred Earth Solar and Indigenous Climate Action, in partnership with Power to the People, RealWorld Media and the David Suzuki Foundation. 

Real world stories were contributed by communities in Turtle Island (Canada) including:

• Gull Bay First Nation
• Haida Communities of Old Masset and Skidegate
• Kanaka Bar Indian Band
• Kluane First Nation
• Lubicon Lake Band
• Mamalilikala First Nation
• Mi’gmaq Communities of Listuguj First Nation, Gespeg First Nation, and Gesgapegiag First Nation
• Namgis First Nation
• Nuxalk Nation
• shíshálh Nation
• Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation
• Snuneymuxw First Nation
• Squamish First Nation
• Taku River Tlingit Nation
• Teslin Tlingit Nation
• Tla-o-qui-aht Nation
• Tlowit’sis First Nation
• Tsleil Waututh Nation