Indigenous Wisdom: Living in Harmony with Mother Earth

Reducing our oversized ecological footprint is an urgent necessity. We in Canada have much to learn from the wisdom of Andean Indigenous peoples whose traditions can teach us how to live in harmony with Mother Earth. We can also learn from social movements in that region inspired by the spirit of vivir bien.

A movement in Bolivia successfully halted a huge natural gas export project and led to a landmark hydrocarbons law. Another popular mobilization in that country, supported by international public opinion, forced a transnational corporation to abandon an investor-state claim for compensation. Similarly, the Yasuni Initiative, despite a setback, has sparked an international movement to keep fossil fuels underground.

Movements in Canada resisting ecologically destructive projects such as new bitumen extraction projects can take inspiration from these social movements and indigenous teachings on living well.

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