Dear Community,
Best greetings in the New Year.
 
We hope in this time of continued strife and the pandemic that you are taking care of yourselves and having the support you need. The world is in a phase of great change as we seek to build a healthy and just future, while we diligently work to dismantle the deep roots of systemic patriarchy, capitalism, racism, and colonization that continue to fuel the climate crisis and social injustice. 
 
In the United States, we are in the midst of responding to the egregious insurrection that took place last Wednesday in Washington D.C. The democracy of the United States (one that is still yet to be fully realized) was attacked with the incitement of white supremacy and a call to violence and pillaging of the Capitol. In this immediate moment, there must be a reckoning with accountability and justice to the full extent for all those involved at every level. And, we are well aware that there is a great deal of long-term work to do for structural change— that has been ongoing for generations and must continue— in order to dismantle the many interlocking systems of oppression, racism and dangerous ideologies that led to this moment.

In a recent press release, Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation), Environmental Ambassador, and WECAN Senior Project Leader/Board Member, reflected on the events last week:

"After witnessing the violent attempted insurrection on January 6th, 2021, and seeing ‘white privilege’ on full display, I am acutely reminded of the drastic contrast of response that Indigenous peoples experienced at Standing Rock where we were attacked by dogs, maced, shot at with rubber bullets, strip searched, put in dog kennels when arrested, and our bodies marked with numbers for peacefully protecting our water and lands."

There is no climate justice without the end of white supremacy and justice for all in the U.S. and globally. Frontline communities worldwide are experiencing the brunt of climate disaster, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a host of systemic injustices. We cannot build a climate justice future without addressing the escalation of white supremacy, disaster capitalism, and fascism in the United States and various regions around the world.

We envision a different path forward, and demand a different future.
 
As we look to the new year, we are committed and steadfast in our collective and ceaseless fight for Indigenous rights, Black liberation, gender equity, rights of nature, true democracies, climate justice, and the protection of this planet we hold so dear. We are buoyed by women and feminists who are leading resistance movements, building climate solutions, and re-imagining a future grounded in justice and care globally. The small window of opportunity for acting on the climate crisis is already upon us— now is the time for climate justice and systemic change.
 
Please see below for some new year updates and actions you can take at the start of 2021 to support and amplify women’s leadership and solutions.
Take Action
Protect The Tongass Rainforest in Alaska
In the United States this week marks the 20th anniversary of the 2001 National Roadless Rule, a policy that protects over 58 million acres of forestlands in the U.S., including the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. 

In October 2020, the Trump Administration exempted the Tongass National Forest, one of the largest remaining intact temperate rainforests in the world, from the Roadless Rule, opening up over 9 million acres of old-growth forests to roadbuilding, logging, and development, like mining. WECAN has been organizing in the Tongass since 2016, and we are continuing to take action to stand with Indigenous peoples and fight for the protection of this sacred and essential forest.
The historic WECAN Indigenous Women’s Tongass Delegation met with Congressional members and staff to advocate for the protection of their forest homelands, Washington D.C. 2019. Photo by Melissa Lyttle.
The Tongass exists within the traditional homelands of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples, and is the foundation of their traditional lifeways and cultures. If the forest is re-opened for further destruction, we will lose one of the most important carbon stores in the U.S., violate Indigenous rights and sovereignty, and perpetuate biodiversity loss and the global climate crisis. This fight is far from over, and WECAN is taking all possible actions, including litigation, to protect the Tongass!

Please stand with us in taking action to call for the Biden Administration, on day one, to reinstate the Roadless Rule and protect America’s best defense against the worst effects of climate change.
To learn more about the importance of the Tongass for climate mitigation and Indigenous rights, please read our recent op-ed in Grist here, written by Wanda Kashudoha Loescher Culp, Tlingit artist and activist, and WECAN Tongass Coordinator, and Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director.
Escazú Agreement Campaign Announcement
WECAN has been advocating for the Escazú Agreement for the past four years, and in September 2020, we brought together women policy makers, Indigenous leaders, and human rights defenders to increase advocacy for ratifying the Escazú Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

The Escazú Agreement, is a groundbreaking multi-lateral accord that can help protect women land defenders under attack for defending their lands, and preserve biodiverse ecosystems across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). To enter into full force the agreement needed 11 ratifications, and on November 5, 2020 Mexico became the 11th country to ratify the Agreement. Countries can now start the process for the accord to enter the implementation phase across Latin America and the Caribbean.

WECAN is excited to announce that we will be expanding our Escazú Agreement campaign into 2021, ensuring that the solutions, experiences, and leadership of women land defenders are centered in the process of implementation.
The WECAN team on the road to Puyo, Ecuador for the International Women's Day March in 2016. Photo Credit: Emily Arasim/WECAN International
It is important to spotlight that Latin America is one of the deadliest regions in the world for environmental land defenders. Combined with entrenched colonial and patriarchal policies, individuals threatened are often times Indigenous peoples and Women Environmental and Human Rights Defenders (WEHRD) fighting for the protection of their communities and territories. Despite violence, frontline and Indigenous women frequently act as the backbones of their communities, knowledge keepers of biodiversity and forests, and leaders in resistance efforts to defend their lands. They are also the inspiration for alternatives and solutions at this critical time of multiple expanding crises. With proper implementation, the Escazú Agreement will secure the rights of land defenders and human rights activists as they work to protect the environment and their communities from further harm.
Indigenous-Women Led Call to Stop Pipelines
This week over 75 Indigenous women from Tribes and Nations across the country sent a letter to the incoming U.S. Administration calling on President-elect Joe Biden to take immediate executive actions to stop the Keystone XL, Line 3, and Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) pipeline projects on day one of his Presidency. 

The letter states “No more broken promises, no more broken Treaties. We represent Indigenous Nations and Tribes from across the United States all impacted by fossil fuel extraction and pipelines, and we urge you to fulfill the United States promise of sovereign relations with Tribes, and your commitment to robust climate action. Please heed our words, we are the women leaders of our communities and we are calling on you to show us on day one your commitment to fulfilling the U.S. treaty obligations and ending the reign of fossil fuel extraction in our tribal territories."

All of these pipelines are moving forward without the Free Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous Tribes and Nations, violating Indigenous rights, and further contributing to the destruction of sacred waters and lands, and the global climate.

Indigenous knowledge and scientists have made clear that a critical part of stopping carbon emissions in the atmosphere is keeping fossil fuels in the ground. Massive pipeline projects such as Keystone XL, Line 3, and DAPL, are not in alignment with the natural laws or with meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement—an Agreement that we actually need to exceed.

Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation) Environmental Ambassador, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) Senior Project Leader and Board Member, and Joye Braun (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) Community Organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network initiated this vital effort.
WECAN in the News
Please stay tuned as we continue to respond to this moment and uplift the leadership and solutions of women worldwide fighting for climate justice and the defense of the planet and climate for current and future generations.
For the Earth and All Generations,

Women's Earth and Climate Action Network
(WECAN) International Team
S T A Y C O N N E C T E D