Maeve Higgins: Colonialism continues to impact climate change

'When you have determination and sovereignty over land and water, and we can exercise our right to protect land and water, then we will see less extraction, and we see less pollution.'

Hunting buffalo by spear, bow, and pistol, around 1880. 'The actual saying from the US army was kill the buffalo, kill the Indian. Buffalo were a vital species to the ecological balance.' Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty

The IPCC, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released its latest report this month. Inside this document — basically, a bang-up-to-date global report of climate change mitigation progress and pledges, one that also examines sources of global emissions — the word “colonialism” pops up for the very first time.

That is the first time the IPCC has been releasing reports researched and written by the world’s best scientists in 30 years. Colonialism was cited as a catalyst for healing our planet and causing climate chaos in the first place. The report also names colonialism as a force that makes segments of the population vulnerable to the impact of climate chaos today and into the future. In its summary for policymakers, the IPCC states, “Present development challenges causing high vulnerability are influenced by historical and ongoing patterns of inequity such as colonialism, especially for many indigenous peoples and local communities.”