Indigenous people want voice in climate decisions

That was the issue that drove a wedge Friday between young people and many of the older delegates at the United Nations-affiliated Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change.

The five-day summit in Anchorage ended Friday with Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, president of the United Nations General Assembly, describing it as "a rather successful gathering."

After hours of debate, a consensus was reached, of sorts, on a declaration to be presented to the Conference of Parties at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December. The document says that indigenous people are "deeply alarmed by the accelerating climate devastation brought about by unsustainable development."

"Mother Earth is no longer in a period of climate change, but in climate crisis," the declaration says. It calls for indigenous people to be fully respected in all decision making related to climate change, and calls on parties to the Copenhagen conference to recognize the importance of traditional knowledge and practices shared by indigenous people in addressing strategies to mitigate climate change.

The declaration also asks that nations abandon "false solutions" to climate change, including nuclear energy, large-scale dams, clean coal and market-based mechanisms such as carbon trading among nations.

But the hang-up was over the issue of whether there should be a moratorium on new oil and gas drilling and a phase-out of fossil fuels.

The final document contains two options on the issue. One calls for the moratorium where supported by indigenous people.

The other says indigenous people would look to an eventual phase-out in the use of fossil fuels while at the same time respecting the rights of indigenous people to develop their resources.

"I think it is the best compromise we can reach," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the Asia representative.

Patricia Cochran, chair of the summit and steering group member, said the one thorny issue was the moratorium but that all other matters were agreed upon.

"I hope we left the room with all of us in agreement," said Cochran, an Inupiaq Eskimo born and raised in Nome.

Before the compromise youth delegates were pushing for the total moratorium.

"We refuse to compromise our futures," said Kandi Mossett of Bismarck, N.D., a member of the youth caucus.

If the youth couldn't get a moratorium, they had considered submitting their own separate declaration to the Denmark conference. Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, a 30-year-old member of the Athabasca Chipewyn First Nation in Canada, said that is still an option.

Tchekwie Deranger said if fossil fuels are not phased out and there is not a moratorium on new oil and gas drilling, developed countries won't be able to meet reduction of emission by 95 percent by 2050, a target that was endorsed in the declaration and is an objective of the Copenhagen convention.

"In order to do that we have to phase out fossil fuels. ... We need to have a moratorium in order to meet those goals."

The declaration was expected to be finished and signed late Friday morning but got hung up, in part because of the drilling issue.

"To be honest, it is all about the drilling," said youth caucus member Andrea Sanders of Bethel. She said some of the delegates representing areas dependent on oil for revenue and jobs are afraid to support a moratorium out of the criticism they would face when returning home.

Sanders said renewable energy is the way to go. "People think that is going to ruin all the jobs, but people working in the oil field on the (North) Slope can be working on new renewable energy projects," she said.