Why indigenous voices matter in the fight for climate and gender justice

As women defenders of the land, it’s very clear to us the causes of this climate crisis and ecological emergency.

It is the logic of extractivism – where capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy come together. It doesn’t only damage our earth, but also sows violence and division across our communities. It affects our health, our ways of life and our relationship with nature. Those of us who live with the consequences in our lands cannot only speak of ‘climate change’. We need to name the urgency in which they are destroying our land, and the way in which we name the problem can help make it more visible.

'In times of climate crisis, the future is a territory to defend.'

One of the tasks that we have now is to continue sowing hope. By telling stories of our peoples, and our own life histories, is to show the true consequences of the climate crisis. Which is a crisis of life in general - and one that should be understood from the experiences of the land. Because, this climate crisis is a symptom of a colonial, capitalist and patriarchal system that reproduces extreme inequality and injustice. Us women, we live with the consequences of this crisis, but we also very clearly see the causes, the logic and practice of extractivism.