Decarbonization, critical minerals, and tribal sovereignty: Pathways towards conflict transformation

Abstract

The Inflation Reduction Act, the largest US investment in renewable energy development and climate mitigation, provides incentives for critical minerals to be mined in North America. The rise in domestic mineral procurement is already reigniting historic conflicts between the Federal Government and Indigenous peoples over Tribal sovereignty. This study utilizes a Conflict Transformation framework to investigate the structural roots of mining conflicts and their impacts on Tribal Nations through two parts. Part One examines the extent to which Tribes were engaged in the formulation of the Inflation Reduction Act. Part Two presents three case studies of the local impacts of mining conflicts and includes the perspectives of a range of stakeholders involved in mining conflicts. The study finds that Tribal Nations were not sufficiently included in the formulation of the Inflation Reduction Act and that local conflicts are rooted in patterns of environmental degradation, colonialism, and broken promises to Tribal communities. Recommendations for transforming this conflict include strengthening environmental regulations, improving Tribal consultation, and commencing a long-term Truth and Reconciliation process between the Federal government and Tribal Nations.