Land Back for a Living Future

By: Emily Jeong
Emily Jeong is a student passionate about environmental justice and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities.

When we think about strategies for talking about climate change, the conversation usually turns to technology- like, solar panels, electric vehicles, less plastic or something else similar. All of which are good. But one of the most powerful solutions doesn't come from any lab or factory. It comes from the land itself, and from the people that have been caring for land for millennia. This is simply giving land back to Indigenous communities--not as some act of charity, but because they are the better stewards of the places, we all rely on.

A story that I think about consistently is Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. For years, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition advocated for this sacred place against harmful development efforts. They didn't simply have political resistance to deal with, nor corporate interests, nor the ongoing protection of the health of the land. Instead, in 2021 they not only regained federal protections, they also gained a direct seat at the table to co-manage the landscape. Now, their traditional knowledge of land is shaping the future of that landscape yet again: different cultural burns (to mitigate catastrophic wildfire), continual sustainable grazing and soil health, and management of sacred sites. It is a living example of the potential that exists when Indigenous-led stewardship is permitted to thrive.

For Indigenous and frontline communities, land is more than dirt and trees. It is a memory. It is medicine. It is where identity and belonging are grounded. Losing land is more than losing a location. It means losing language, losing tradition, losing the knowledge that balanced ecosystems for centuries. 

Climate justice cannot be accomplished by simply cutting emissions. It must grapple with the root wound: stolen land and stolen authority. The fact is that the climate movement will fail without Indigenous people at the center of it. They have been defending Mother Earth long before 'climate action' was in the public interest. Land Back isn’t a trending topic—it is a real climate solution.

References:

• Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. (n.d.). Bears Ears National Monument. Retrieved from https://bearsearscoalition.org

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