Indigenous Engagement in Carbon Removal

Carbon Removal Canada (CRC) is an independent policy initiative focused on the rapid and responsible scale-up of carbon dioxide removal solutions needed to meet Canada’s climate goals and help catalyze a net-negative emissions world this century. As one of the organization’s first hires, I spearheaded the research, planning, and implementation of CRC’s inaugural community engagement strategy. In this role, I collaborated with Indigenous Rights Holders to develop a platform for responsible carbon removal and align Carbon Removal Canada’s programs with community members’ priorities.

My Role

Project lead

Methods

Stakeholder mapping

Semi-structured interview

Focus group

Thematic coding

Literature review

Deliverables

What We Heard internal report

Executive Summary external report

Funder and Board of Director presentations

Community engagement strategy proposal

May 2023-January 2024
Toronto, ON

Context

Process

Outcome

  • Cultivated ongoing relationships with Indigenous Rights Holders, establishing Carbon Removal Canada as a trusted partner and industry leader in responsible carbon removal deployment

  • Published internal and external reports articulating Indigenous priorities around carbon removal and translating interview insights into Indigenous engagement recommendations for settler CDR developers

  • Coordinated and facilitated a gathering of Indigenous stakeholders, fostering dialogue and collaboration towards inclusive solutions and communicating research findings to a non-technical audience

  • Presented project findings and implications to Carbon Removal Canada’s Board of Directors and project funder Elemental Impact

  • Produced a comprehensive community engagement strategy proposal, including specific recommendations for future policy and research, government relations, strategy and operations, and communications projects

As an emergent industry in the early stages of development, the carbon removal sector represents an opportunity to center equity and justice from the ground up. Given this unique context, I approached this project with the goal of understanding how CRC can support Indigenous sovereignty within Canada’s nascent carbon removal ecosystem. Drawing on participatory action and decolonized research methods, I prioritized engagement activities that fostered ongoing dialogue and upheld the principles of free, prior, and informed consent. This included recognizing the limitations of my positionality as a non-Indigenous American and following the lead of the Indigenous collaborators whom I was lucky to work with and learn from.

  • Collaborated with Indigenous-led advisory, Rise Consulting, to implement culturally-informed outreach and engagement strategies

  • Conducted a landscape analysis of carbon removal developers’ current approaches to community engagement

  • Facilitated 8 stakeholder interviews with First Nations council members, Indigenous clean energy entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts

  • Analyzed primary and secondary data to identify opportunities for Indigenous leadership, barriers to Indigenous participation, and preferred approaches to engagement with the carbon removal sector

  • Solicited and incorporated multiple rounds of interviewee feedback to ensure that participants felt heard and accurately represented

Impact

By honoring stakeholder relationships first and foremost, my work helped set the tone for Carbon Removal Canada’s ongoing Indigenous engagement efforts. It has been especially rewarding to see CRC bring my strategic recommendations to life, including the Centering Indigenous Leadership & Community Voices workshop. Held in September 2024, this event highlighted Indigenous self-determination in the carbon removal and clean energy sectors and fostered connections between Indigenous Rights Holders and industry actors.

I continue to support Carbon Removal Canada as a consultant, leading the organization’s first comprehensive program evaluation. I’m excited to release the Key Learnings Report, a public-facing document summarizing CRC’s Indigenous engagement activities and outcomes to date, identifying opportunities for growth, and providing a roadmap for short- and long-term program planning.