Autumn Peltier going to the United Nations to share her message about water

Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner Autumn Peltier gives her keynote speech at the Eshekenijig & Getzidjig Governance Gathering in Sault Ste. Marie on July 30, 2019. – Photo by Laura Barrios

By Marci Becking

Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner, Autumn Peltier, is headed to the United Nation Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit this week in New York to meet with other like-minded youth about climate change.

“I will advocate for the seriousness of having clean drinking water at a level where changes can be made for everyone as a whole. I will also be able to meet other activists and share our stories with others from all over the world,” says Peltier. “We are water – we come from water and when the water is sick – we are sick.”

Peltier, 15, spoke at the United Nations General Assembly last year and is scheduled to do so again next week, joining fellow youth activist, Greta Thunberg at the UN.

“I am hoping to meet other Indigenous activists from around the world, but also would like to meet with Greta Thunberg if the opportunity happens.”

Greta Thunberg, the 16 year-old Swedish environmental activist, has garnered a lot of attention since addressing the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference. She is responsible for raising global awareness of the risks posed by climate change.

Peltier adds details about what she will be sharing at the UN.

“I will be emphasizing on our direct connection to the land and water. I will share an Indigenous perspective how our people are caretakers of the land and waters and how everything is connected and depending on clean water,” adds Peltier who is a citizen of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. “I will share knowledge of why we as Anishinaabe people are so protective of our waters and that we come from a place where we are surrounded by the freshest water in the world and it’s at risk of being contaminated.”

“One day, I will be an ancestor and I want to leave a legacy for my great-grandchildren so they know I worked hard to ensure they have a future,” says Peltier, who was recently nominated for the 2019 International Children’s Peace Prize for her work to protect water and Mother Earth. “We need to protect the water today, because the longer we wait, the sicker the plants and animals get. If we wait until tomorrow or the next day, the water won’t be the same as that day – in one month or one year, the water gets more and more contaminated. Water is the blood of Mother Earth, everything is connected.”

“Nothing can live without water, if we don’t act now there will come a time when we will be fighting for those last barrels of water, once that’s gone we can’t eat or drink money or oil. Then what will you do?”

The Youth Climate Action Summit provides a platform for young leaders to showcase their solutions and meaningfully engage with decision-makers. The Summit brings together young activists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who are committed to addressing the global climate emergency.

Peltier’s efforts at the United Nation are funded by the Anishinabek Nation.