Ignoring the mercury in the climate change barometer: denying Indigenous people's rights

Abstract

Indigenous peoples are among those most vulnerable to climate change although they are the least responsible for the carbon cycle that causes global warming. The article highlights the need for a human rights-based approach to climate change governance that recognises Indigenous peoples' rights to contribute to the design and implementation of climate change policies. It argues that failure to acknowledge and incorporate Indigenous rights would be an ethical and legal violation by policy-makers at the global and regional levels.