Underpinning the ethos of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to 2030 is the idea of ‘leaving no one behind’1. This is an idea that transcends the 17 SDG goals, melding equitability, and climate justice, with the overall aim being to limit global warming to below 2C without doing so at the expense of vulnerable populations. Achieving climate justice will only be possible by facilitating the empowerment of the most marginalized people. Often, indigenous voices are forgotten amid the mire of modern political ideologies. These are the people who have lived on, and off of, the local landscapes for centuries. They have an intimate knowledge of the environment and understand the importance of natural cycles in maintaining sustainability. We must give greater sonority to their voices if the most catastrophic climate change scenarios are to be avoided, and climate justice delivered.
