The path to international recognition for indigenous rights as human rights has been a long and arduous one. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights for Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was 30 years in the making before finally passing in 2007 (Champagne, 2013). UNDRIP is considered to be a huge success, as it is an internationally supported document outlining the problems of indigenous peoples as well as providing potential solutions. And while there is no enforceable legal framework for violating the declaration, it does impose an international moral high ground. The legal protections proposed in UNDRIP are far-reaching, but the articles in analysis here are those that address the environmental protections granted to
indigenous peoples. What indigenous human rights are threatened by environmental damage, and what is the connection between climate change and the violation of said rights? First, an understanding of the key actors is needed to better assess the situation.
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