The reproduction and entrenchment of colonial systems within climate and energy policies, leading to the disregard of the rights, knowledge systems, governance, and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples.

The continuation of the structural legacies of colonization in current global responses to climate change.

A framework that recognizes the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on those least responsible for it, and addresses its root causes through structural solutions, holding countries, corporations, and individuals most responsible accountable while demanding support for those most impacted.

An Indigenous research method grounded in lived-experience, storytelling, dialogue, oral traditions, and relationality.

The international decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where state actors negotiate global climate action and policy. It convenes annually, bringing together representatives from 197 member countries to assess progress, set targets, and attempt to advance collective commitments on climate change.

A process of dismantling colonial structures, ideologies, and power systems, and actively centering and inserting structures with  Indigenous laws, knowledges, governance systems, and sovereignty.

An economic model centered on the large-scale removal and export of natural resources, often from Indigenous territories without community consent, that prioritizes profit over the well-being of Land, ecosystems and communities.

Diverse systems of trade, reciprocity, and relationship-based value grounded in sustainability, care, and community well-being. 

A research framework grounded in Indigenous worldviews, methodologies, and ways of knowing that centers relationality, accountability, and community well-being. It challenges Eurocentric research norms by positioning Indigenous epistemologies and expertise as valid and rigorous foundations for inquiry, as theorized by Indigenous scholars such as Shawn Wilson, Margaret Kovach, Kathleen Absolon, and Kim TallBear.

The collective inherent and treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples to determine their own political, economic, social, and cultural development.

The inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-govern, steward the Lands and Waters, and maintain legal and political autonomy.

A framework that aims to shift toward sustainable economies in ways that are equitable and inclusive.

A political and legal movement to return Indigenous lands to Indigenous jurisdiction and stewardship. It includes the restoration of Land-based governance, spiritual relationships, and Treaty obligations.

Established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the LCIPP strengthens the knowledge, technologies, practices, and efforts of local communities and Indigenous peoples in addressing climate change, facilitates the exchange of best practices on mitigation and adaptation, and enhances Indigenous and local community engagement in the UNFCCC process. Its Facilitative Working Group (FWG), constituted at COP 24 in Katowice (December 2018), works to operationalize the platform's three functions related to knowledge, capacity for engagement, and climate change policies and actions

Translated as "the good life." A Cree term and worldview rooted in relational balance, well-being, and living in harmony with all beings.

An Indigenous methodological and ethical principle that prioritizes relationships within community, holding individuals and communities accountable to respect and reciprocity as we move through shared Land, Waters, and territories.

A sacred Indigenous ceremony in which medicines (such as sage, cedar, sweetgrass, or tobacco) are burned to cleanse the spirit, offer prayer, or as part of broader ceremonial practices. Specific medicines, protocols, and purposes vary among Indigenous Nations across Turtle Island.

An Indigenous methodology drawn from the work of Jo-Ann Archibald (2008) in which stories are engaged with collectively through reflection and discussion to surface their deeper meanings. Rooted in the understanding that stories are among the oldest teachers, Storywork recognizes their role in both community and academic spaces to impart lessons, make sense of experiences, and share knowledge.

Legal agreements between Indigenous nations and settler governments that establish obligations, responsibilities, and recognition of Indigenous sovereignty.

Adopted by the United Nations in 2007, UNDRIP is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It affirms key rights including self-determination, free prior and informed consent, and land governance, and establishes minimum international standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous Peoples by elaborating on existing human rights standards as they apply to their specific situations.

An international agreement among 197 countries to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at levels that prevent dangerous human-induced interference with the climate system. Signed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, it was the first climate change convention within the United Nations system. Today, the UNFCCC serves as the framework for international climate policy, encompassing multiple bodies, agreements, and collective efforts to address climate change.