By Tsering Lama, Storytelling Manager, Greenpeace International
Executive Overview
True allyship can only take hold when we recognize that Indigenous peoples’ struggles are intricately bound up with our collective fate. Our greatest hope against ecological breakdown is to support Indigenous sovereignty and actively join the global resistance against extractive industries. This is a matter of our mutual survival and liberation.
Across the globe, the planetary crisis is accelerating. From the deforestation of the Amazon and the industrial nickel mining scarring the coral reefs of Raja Ampat, Indonesia, to the diplomatic halls of United Nations climate summits, a stark reality is unfolding: the economic model that commodifies nature is failing. Yet, standing directly in its path are Indigenous communities whose stewardship of the earth offers a blueprint for survival.
As extractivism transforms to masquerade as "green" energy transition projects, the urgency of cross-movement solidarity has never been higher. This report examines the mechanics of modern resource extraction, the staggering human and ecological costs borne by frontline defenders, and the vital frameworks—from global legal instruments to youth-led declarations like the Sira Declaration—that point the way toward a post-extractive future.
Detailed Chronology: Milestones in Resistance and Rights
The modern struggle against industrial extractivism did not emerge in a vacuum; it is rooted in centuries of localized defense that have gradually crystallized into powerful international movements and legal frameworks.
- 1989 (ILO Convention 169): The International Labour Organization adopts Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 169, establishing international legal standards for the protection of Indigenous peoples and their land rights. This becomes a foundational tool for self-determination.
- 2007 (UNDRIP): The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), enshrining individual and collective rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, and education.
- 2021 (The Carbon Barrier): A landmark report by the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) reveals that Indigenous-led resistance movements in North America have successfully halted or delayed greenhouse gas pollution equivalent to at least 25% of annual US and Canadian emissions.
- November 2024 (COP29 Baku): Indigenous leaders mobilize at the UN Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan, demanding that governments hold fossil fuel polluters accountable and integrate Indigenous territorial rights into national climate action plans.
- April 2025 (The 21st Free Land Camp – ATL): Gathering in Brasília at the Funarte Complex, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) celebrates 20 years of resistance under the banner "APIB is all of us: In defense of the Constitution and life." Greenpeace Brazil actively supports the historic mobilization.
- September 2025 (The Sira Declaration): Indigenous youth representatives from the world’s primary tropical forest basins—the Amazon, the Congo Basin, Borneo, and West Papua—convene at the 2nd Forest Defender Camp in Southwest Papua. They draft and issue the Sira Declaration, setting clear imperatives for global climate and biodiversity protection.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Anatomy of Extractivism
What is Extractivism?
Differing from the simple act of harvesting a resource (such as cutting down a single tree), extractivism is an economic model that treats the Earth as an endless storehouse of raw materials. Nature is commodified and extracted at an industrial scale and exported to enrich distant interests, while local communities—often Indigenous—bear the devastating ecological and social costs.
It’s no coincidence that the concept of extractivismo originated in Latin America—a region that has served as ground zero for over 500 years of imperial plunder, while simultaneously remaining the global heartland of Indigenous frontline resistance.
The Myth of "Green Extractivism"
Today, Indigenous movements are also challenging an accelerating demand for so-called "critical minerals." Brought about by the clean energy transition, the explosive growth of AI and Big Tech, and expanding defense sectors, this speculative rush for minerals is giving rise to new environmental sacrifice zones.
In her book Extraction, political scientist Thea Riofrancos spotlights frontline Indigenous communities fighting back against "green extractivism," exposing how the rush for clean energy minerals risks repeating historic colonial harms. To break this cycle, Riofrancos advocates for solutions that move beyond simply swapping gas-powered vehicles for electric ones, calling instead for public transit investments, circular material recycling, and a deliberate reduction in overall resource consumption.
In response to today’s intensifying extractive rush, Greenpeace has partnered with other NGOs and experts to launch the Restricted Areas Map, highlighting regions where mining poses unacceptable environmental, social, cultural, or rights-related risks.
The High Cost of Defense
Frontline Indigenous defenders routinely face systemic intimidation, land theft, state criminalization, and lethal violence. According to data from Global Witness, while Indigenous peoples represent roughly 6% of the global population, they consistently account for more than one-third of all land and environmental defenders murdered worldwide each year.
Colonial states also spread racist and prejudiced narratives about supposed Indigenous inferiority. These myths have permeated many levels of society, leading to a profound disconnection not only from Indigenous peoples, but also from ancient traditions, wisdom systems, and sustainable ways of relating to the Earth.
Official Statements & Demands
Across courtroom battles, frontline blockades, and international climate summits, Indigenous activists share a unified set of demands.
The Sira Declaration, penned by youth from the Amazon, Congo Basin, Borneo, and West Papua, lays out an uncompromising call to action for governments, corporations, and international bodies. Among its core mandates, the declaration demands:
- The immediate recognition and legal demarcation of Indigenous and customary territories.
- The absolute right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) regarding any industrial or extractive projects proposed within ancestral lands.
- Direct, unmediated climate funding channeled straight to Indigenous communities to support localized conservation efforts.
- An immediate halt to the criminalization and violence directed at environmental defenders.
These demands are echoed by international civil society organizations and supported by overwhelming public sentiment. A landmark Greenpeace poll spanning 17 countries across five continents revealed that:
- 78% of respondents trust Indigenous peoples and local communities most to protect forests (compared to just 49% for governments and 42% for corporations).
- 75% of respondents agree that Indigenous peoples should receive direct climate funding to safeguard their ancestral territories.
Future Outlook: Building a Just, Post-Extractive Future
As Lilla Watson, a Gangulu woman of the Aboriginal Activists Group, famously stated:
"If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
Stopping destructive corporate projects is only the first step. A post-extractive future requires a deeply post-colonial transformation. In a time as critical as this, non-Indigenous allies cannot remain passive observers. Decolonization requires that settler populations actively reject the ideology of extractivism by abandoning the commodification, domination, and exploitation of nature.
Indigenous leadership provides practical, time-tested blueprints for post-extractive societies founded on care, ecological balance, and collective well-being. As highlighted in recent Greenpeace research on community-led forest solutions across the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Indonesia, the answers to the climate crisis are already here—they simply require our collective will to honor, protect, and follow.
Take Action: Defend the Defenders
The fight to protect our global commons begins by safeguarding those who have guarded them for millennia.
- Demand the formal recognition of Indigenous rights and territories.
- Join international campaigns calling for corporate accountability and the halt of destructive extractive projects.
Countries surveyed in Greenpeace’s global polling include: Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Canada, USA, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.
