11/15/2016 Why the Native American pipeline resistance in North Dakota is about climate justice https://theconversation.com/whythenativeamericanpipelineresistanceinnorthdakotaisaboutclimatejustice64714 1/6 Author Kyle Powys Whyte Timnick Chair in the Humanities / Associate Professor of Philosophy and Community Sustainability, Michigan State University Academic rigor, journalistic flair Over the past months, hundreds of indigenous persons and their allies have gathered near the crossing of the Missouri and Cannon Ball rivers in the ancestral territories of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Using nonviolent means, their goal is to stop the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) that would connect production fields in North Dakota to refineries in Illinois. Their primary fear is that an oil leak would threaten water quality for many members of the tribal community. On Sept. 9, a federal judge denied the tribe’s request for an injunction to halt completion of the pipeline. But shortly after, federal officials said they would temporarily stop construction pending further review. As a scholar of indigenous studies and environmental justice, I’ve been following these developments closely. The pipeline’s construction has already destroyed some of the tribe’s sacred burial grounds. During protests, the protectors – as many gatherers prefer to be called – have endured violence, including being peppersprayed, attacked by dogs, denied nourishment and threatened by lawsuits. But despite the national attention to this case, one point has gone largely ignored in my view: Stopping DAPL is a matter of climate justice and decolonization for indigenous peoples. It may not always be apparent to people outside these communities, but standing up for water quality and heritage are intrinsically tied to these larger issues. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe protest construction of an oil pipeline near their reservation in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Andrew Cullen/Reuters September 16, 2016 12.28pm EDT Why the Native American pipeline resistance in North Dakota is about climate justice