From December 7th-19th, 2022, COP15, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity convened in Montreal to create a new 10-year plan to reverse the accelerating loss of life on Earth. In addition to being an important place for international leaders to meet and take action, it was also an opportunity for organizers and activists to uplift major concerns about biodiversity in the region. Sierra Club showed up in four ways: for a Rally, Teach in, Media events, and formal COP15 Panel in the Canadian Pavilion.
Rally
On Saturday, December 10, activists uplifted the call to “Shut Down Line 5” in the Grande marche pour le vivant or March for Biodiversity and Human rights, hosted by 67+ organizations. 3,500 people took to the streets to participate in the March. Together they demonstrated international support for protecting biodiversity, respecting Indigenous peoples, and fighting for human rights.
Teach in
On December 11, water protectors from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, and Quebec gathered to participate in a teach in titled “Fighting Canadian Fossil Fuel Infrastructures in the US and Canada”. This was a free educational event that 80 people participated in and which featured Indigenous organizers, experts, and activists from the US and Canada who shared their own experience with anti-pipeline work and collaborated on future Line 5 organizing. You can watch the recording here.
Media
Organizers and activists spoke to an international audience at a press conference, "An imminent ecological disaster in the making," which saw a packed room and attendance from other organizers and politicians such as Elizabeth May, Canadian Member of Parliament and leader of the Green Party. They raised the issue of Line 5 and the catastrophic damage it could cause to the Great Lakes and Tribes and First Nations, who hold rights that are being endangered.
Additionally, activists delivered a $266 billion invoice to Enbridge’s Montreal station for the damages they've inflicted while transporting oil through their network. This was done in consideration of the impact Enbridge's pipelines have had on vast, international communities, and was a result of research done by Honor the Earth. The demands put forth include a chance for dialogue, decommissioning Line 5 in the Mackinac Straits, rejecting the Line 5 re-route, making a necessary transition from fossil fuels, and, in doing so, upholding Indigenous Sovereignty and treaty rights. The press conference highlighted the disproportionate impact on communities of lower income, including health concerns, and also highlighted the lack of inclusion of communities in events such as COP15.
COP15 Panel in the Canadian Pavilion
This official panel came together at the last minute, and gave us the opportunity to lift up the voices of five people active in the fight against Line 5:
- Aurora Conley, community and staff member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Travis Boissoneau, Lake Huron Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief for the Anishinaabek Nation
- Michelle Woodhouse, Environmental Defence Canada Water Program Manager
- Don Waller, Great Lakes Biologist and Retired Professor from the University of Wisconsin Madison
- Carley Dove-McFalls, a recent graduate and climate justice activist in the Tio:tia’ke - Mooniyang - Montreal community
The panel discussed the importance of protecting the Great Lakes from the threat of Line 5, for example, issues such as aquifer breaches, creation of edge habitats, and ecosystem collapse in spillways. They also uplifted the importance of upholding Treaty rights, respecting Indigenous Sovereignty, and protecting Indigenous identity and ways of life. The members also highlighted the lack of tribal inclusion as it pertains to decision making and Canada's complacency and support for Big Oil. They highlighted risks related to creation and use of pipelines including aquifer punctures, creation of edge habitats, and ecosystem collapse possible in spillways.
While Line 5 could deeply impact the Great Lakes at any moment, Enbridge’s history has been poor response or lack of awareness regarding spills causing heightened concerns for impacted communities. The continued operation of Line 5 is a risk that cannot be tolerated, and the pipeline needs to be shut down.
COP15 shines light on the crucial subject of biodiversity, and it also highlights that this is a local, regional, national and international issue. An oil spill or damage during construction will know no borders. That's why it's so crucial that we all work together to shut down the pipeline. The Great Lakes hold 84% of North America's surface freshwater, provide drinking water for millions of people, and support billion-dollar economies. These essential bodies are at immense risk from pipelines, oil spills, and climate change. A Line 5 spill will result in catastrophic consequences, polluting drinking water and disrupting countless ecosystems.
President Biden has an important role to play, and we need him to support Tribal nations' sovereignty and all those who have been calling for this shut down. Canada also needs to stand up for First Nations by actively working to eliminate their support of fossil fuels. The fight will continue to protect lands, water, wildlife and communities until this pipeline is shut down permanently.
Jolynda Peterson, Organizing Project Aide