Indigenous Legal Orders and Climate Law
Author: Marina La Salle and Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, KC
Current to: February 2022
As part of CLEBC Online Course Materials, we’re pleased to present your latest Practice Point, “Indigenous Legal Orders and Climate Law.”
This paper was originally prepared for CLEBC’s Climate Law Conference 2022 by authors Marina La Salle and Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, KC (of White Raven Law Corporation).
With the Supreme Court of Canada recently recognizing that climate change “is a threat of the highest order to the country, and indeed the world,” this paper focuses on climate change as it is unfolding in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in British Columbia, reviewing recent examples and the most pressing concerns for Indigenous communities.
The authors address the unique challenges and legal questions that Indigenous peoples face, drawing on their experience working for the Council of the Haida Nation and foregrounding the ways that Indigenous communities are pursuing climate adaptation and mitigation to ensure the resilience of their communities.