Indigenous Climate Action

Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) is an Indigenous-led organization guided by a diverse group of Indigenous knowledge keepers, water protectors and land defenders from communities and regions across the country. We believe that Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge systems are critical to developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice.

Since 2015, (ICA) has existed as a unique organization, run by and for Indigenous peoples, working on issues of climate change. We began programming in 2016, and hiring staff in 2017. Over the years we have successfully grown new programs and projects to meet the needs of our communities. We provide our communities with the necessary alternative to work with an Indigenous organization that understands their lived realities, and to change how our communities work, see themselves, and exist in today’s colonial environmental movements.

ICA is governed by a National Steering Committee of diverse Indigenous peoples who have developed five pathways to guide our work: Gatherings, Resources & Trainings, Amplifying Voices, Supporting Indigenous Sovereignty, and Healing Justice. Our work is deeply relational and involves the development and implementation of strategies created with, by and for our communities, with the goal of uplifting Indigenous voices, sovereignty and stewardship of the lands and waters for future generations.

Our vision is a world with sovereign and thriving Indigenous Peoples and cultures leading climate justice for all. Our mission is to inspire action through the development of tools and opportunities created with, by and for our communities, with the goal of uplifting Indigenous voices, sovereignty, and stewardship of the lands and waters for future generations.

ICA’s Past Activities in 2024 include:

Education and Training Program: ICA delivered three Climate Leadership Program (CLP) cohorts and launched its first International Indigenous Rights & Climate Policy (ICP) pilot, engaging participants from over 30 Indigenous Nations and territories. ICA also hosted in-person gatherings, and over 200 participants have completed CLP training since 2021.

Research and Policy: ICA strengthened Indigenous influence in climate policy through community-driven research and engagement in national and international decision-making spaces, contributing to the IWGIA chapter on Decolonizing Climate Policy and advanced Phase Two of the Decolonizing Climate Policy project. Research expanded to include Inuit engagement and Nature-based Solutions, supported by student-led legal briefs. Through ICA’s role in the IIPFCC and participation at UNFCCC COP29, ICA influenced negotiations on Article 6 and Loss and Damage by drafting interventions, producing policy summaries, and contributing to rights-based policy papers that elevated Indigenous governance and community realities.

Just Transition: ICA hosted a three-part webinar series co-hosted with Sacred Earth Solar, reaching nearly 750 viewers. ICA’s Just Transition Guide continued to see strong uptake and citations, prompting the development of four new bite-sized educational tools.

Community Solidarity: ICA provided flexible, rapid-response support to land defenders, water keepers, and knowledge holders through the Sovereignty in Action (SIA) Awards and responsive funding, distributing $65,000 through 25 SIA Awards.

Storytelling and Community Amplification: ICA amplified Indigenous voices across digital, print, and earned media while implementing a refreshed five-year communications strategy. ICA published 52 blogs, press releases, and public statements, reaching nearly 96,000 website visitors, and secured 46 earned media features, including The New York Times, Forbes, and NPR.

Youth Leadership: ICA supported frontline youth action through $3,750 in Youth Wellness grants and $13,500 for five youth-led solidarity projects. Our Youth Zine series published two editions, while our landmark partnership with Hart House showcased 21 youth artworks to over 20,000 visitors. ICA also maintained a Youth Leadership Trello Board, a living resource sharing jobs, events, trainings, and educational tools to support youth engagement and leadership in climate action.

Indigenous Divestment: ICA advanced Indigenous-led divestment by convening eight leaders in the Indigenous Divestment Working Group, amplifying voices at the RBC AGM and New York Climate Week, and launching Healing the Land: Indigenous Perspectives in Divestment. We produced learning tools and near-finalized the Free, Prior and Informed Consent report, co-created a youth art installation at Hart House, and expanded the No More Dirty Banks campaign to over 9,000 supporters.

Relationship Building and Gathering: ICA hosted a Land Gathering at Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, bringing together Indigenous leaders and youth for intergenerational learning, ceremony, and NVDA training in partnership with NDN Collective. ICA received 131 collaboration requests, engaging 68% with a focus on Indigenous communities, academic institutions, and youth-led initiatives, strengthening Indigenous-led climate justice, community knowledge-sharing, and cross-border movement-building.

Our current programs include Climate Leadership Training, Youth Leadership, Just Transition, Decolonizing Climate Policy, Indigenous Divestment, Sovereignty in Action, Healing Justice, and the ICA Pod Podcast.

The Climate Leadership Program (CLP) is a transformative initiative built through community engagements and knowledge-sharing sessions from across so-called Canada. The CLP serves to facilitate capacity-building, information and resource exchanges, and advocacy among Indigenous leaders, communities, and beyond. The CLP stands as a vital platform for Indigenous communities to assert their sovereignty in the face of climate change.

Youth Leadership: Investing in Indigenous Youth is the way forward to a sustainable future for humanity and the Earth. We work to serve the needs of youth who strive for climate justice, and Indigenous rights and sovereignty by providing resources and tools, education and training, creating movement spaces for youth, led by youth, and uplifting the voices of our young leaders today.

ICA’s Just Transition program is focused on providing Indigenous outlooks and success stories of what a Just Transition can look like from an Indigenous perspective, to inspire communities and Indigenous youth across Turtle Island. We believe that by equipping Indigenous Nations with our new Just Transition Guide, our communities may begin embarking on their very own energy sovereign journey.

ICA’s Decolonizing Climate Policy research project aims to investigate the shortcomings and problems associated with Canadian climate policy while at the same time supporting, and developing Indigenous-led climate policy - climate policies by and for Indigenous Peoples that will raise up and empower Indigenous-led solutions.

Indigenous Divestment: ICA is currently exploring partnerships with organizations, communities and allies in deepening Indigenous-led Divestment and keep it in the ground strategies to develop and curate best practices for community led and driven divestment movements. We will be hosting webinars, trainings and providing opportunities for community participation in an Indigenous-led Divestment movement.

The Sovereignty in Action (SIA) Awards are an ICA initiative that provides up to $2,500 to grassroots Indigenous-led groups, recognizing their leadership in climate justice and Indigenous sovereignty. Rooted in reciprocity, the initiative strengthens existing community-led projects rather than seeding new ones, with a goal of awarding up to $100,000 annually across two intakes to support Indigenous initiatives and leaders across Turtle Island

ICA’s Healing Justice Pathway embeds trauma-informed practices across our organization and movement spaces, addressing generational and systemic harms. This approach supports staff and communities experiencing multiple layers of trauma, fostering collective well-being, sustainable organizing, and a healthier, more resilient climate justice movement.

The ICA Pod Podcast was launched to strengthen the Indigenous rights movement and connect communities when in-person gatherings were limited due to COVID-19. By providing an accessible platform, the podcast ensures Indigenous Peoples can engage with movement updates, stories, and resources despite barriers to internet, videos, or other materials.

ICA’s Future Planned Activities include (but are not limited to):

The Explore and Blossom pod will expand delivery formats with asynchronous self-led modules, weekly live sessions, and two in-person hands-on sessions (pending funding). New curriculum and resources will cover topics like false solutions and nature-based solutions, including short videos, graphics, webinars, and interactive workshops.

The Campaigns Team will lead the development of targeted resources and programming, coordinating and collaborating on campaigns, and create opportunities for youth leadership - ensuring Indigenous people have the skills and knowledge to build people power in their communities and beyond.

The Communications team will Advance the “Amplifying Community Voices” Strategic Goal, Build Clear and Consistent Program Brands, and Implement Communications Strategies.

Engagement will scale-up our relational infrastructure with our community engagement strategy, and strengthen cross-movement alliances to ensure Indigenous rights, water protection, and sovereignty remain central to the national climate justice landscape.

The Stewardship Pod will host the 2026 Land Gathering, tentatively planned for August 2026 and will bring together First Nation, Inuit, and Metis frontline community members, knowledge holders, and cultural practitioners to share their knowledge and uplift Indigenous-led climate solutions happening across Turtle Island.