The Case for Returning U.S. #PublicLands to #IndigenousPeople

by Joe Whittle, Mar 6, 2025

"Since the start of Trump’s second term, his administration has fired thousands of federal workers across multiple public lands agencies, including the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The effects of this are vast: It’s going to have a profoundly negative impact on the environment and the way millions of Americans enjoy public lands, cause immeasurable harm to America’s wildest places, and devastate the economies built around them.

"After serving 12 years as a backcountry wilderness ranger for the U.S. Forest Service, I'm convinced there is an alternative: the U.S. needs to return its public lands to Native Americans. In fact, I believe that might be the only way to save our parks and forests from corporate privatization and destruction, as well as preserve public access to them. If the U.S. won’t properly care for its public lands, why not return them to their original caretakers?

"This isn’t a new idea. #NativeAmericans argued that treaty law required
'abandoned' federal land to be returned to tribes during the occupation of #Alcatraz Island by the #AmericanIndianMovement in the 1960s. In more recent years, the #LandbackMovement has given rise to increased calls for the return of territorial land to #IndigenousNations, and the return of land management based in #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge—expertise gathered from thousands of years of having deep relationships with specific environments. There’s a strong legal argument that land return is constitutionally required as damages due for hundreds of treaty violations. However, there’s also a lot of data showing Indigenous land management is more ecologically sound than government or industrially managed land. For instance, #ProjectDrawdown, a global leader in science-based #ClimateChange solutions, estimates that returning 1,000 million hectares of land to Indigenous tenureship by 2050 would sequester over 12 gigatons of carbon dioxide."

Read more:
https://time.com/7262838/us-public-lands-return-indigenous-people/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/QnF32

#LandBack #AIM #StolenLand #StolenLands #NationalParks #TEK #ClimateCrisis #ClimateSolutions #IndigenousPeoples #IndigenousPeoplesMonth #GiveItBack #Stewardship #LandIsLife #WaterIsLife #AlcatrazIsland #Resistance #USPol #TrumpSucks #RespectTheTreaties

#China built out record amount of #wind and #solar power in 2024

By ISABELLA O’MALLEY
Updated 3:04 PM EST, January 28, 2025

"China raced ahead building #renewable energy last year, installing more wind and solar power than ever before and continuing to leave all other countries in the dust.

"The nation put up 357 gigawatts of solar and wind, a 45% and 18% increase, respectively, over what was operating at the end of 2023, according to China’s National Energy Administration. That’s akin to building 357 full-size nuclear plants in one year.

"The installations meant China surpassed a goal, six years early, of having 1,200 gigawatts from renewables by 2030, a benchmark Chinese President Xi Jinping set five years ago.

"The scale of the advance is important because at the same time, China remains the country that currently contributes the most to climate change, relying heavily on burning coal to make electricity, cement and for manufacturing.

"'While China’s overall emissions are the largest of any single country, they have recognized – at least, in part – that rapidly building renewables is essential for energy and climate security. Given the recent administration change in Washington, China is now well poised to lead the world in the energy transition,' said Daniel Jasper, senior policy advisor at #ProjectDrawdown, a group that publicizes climate solutions."

https://apnews.com/article/wind-solar-energy-china-climate-carbon-emissions-b337503abfacfd9b7829fd7bbcd507e9
#WindPower #SolarPower #Renewables #RenewablesNow

Beyond voting, here’s how to take citizen action for the climate

Identifying key decision-makers allows for more focused advocacy efforts.

https://wecanfixclimatechange.com/2024/11/beyond-voting-heres-how-to-take-citizen-action-for-the-climate

#climatechange #projectdrawdown

Greenwashing and denial won’t solve beef’s enormous climate problems

The staggering 38% waste in the beef supply chain emphasizes the inefficiency of current consumption practices.

https://wecanfixclimatechange.com/2024/10/greenwashing-and-denial-wont-solve-beefs-enormous-climate-problems

#climatechange #projectdrawdown

#ThereIsNoPlanetB #TheFutureIsClean --- "It’s amazing what investing in clean technology can do. A 10% drop in emissions in a single year!" --- Dr. Jonathan Foley Executive Director, #ProjectDrawdown

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/03/15/germanys-emissions-fell-by-record-101-in-2023-how-are-they-cleaning-up-their-act