March 25, 2024

After years of sustained resistance against Harvard University’s controversial Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, known as SCoPEx, the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Saami Council, and Tonatierra Nahuacalli welcome the news of Harvard University announcing its cancellation of SCoPEx.  SCoPEx, is a geoengineering technique called Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), that has consistently targeted Indigenous Peoples’ territories as experimental sites to test injecting aerosols into the sky to measure the effectiveness of blocking the sun. Indigenous Peoples have opposed the aerosol injection experiment since its launch in 2017, leading to several wins to keep this experimentation out of Indigenous Peoples territories, including  Sweden and North America. 

In 2017, IEN contacted Tonatierra Nahuacalli, a cultural embassy of Indigenous Peoples of the Southwest region of North America, with concerns Indigenous Peoples of the Tucson area including local communities of farmers were not consulted on a SCoPEx project being planned for the Tucson, Arizona area of southwest US. Tonatierra immediately notified the traditional leadership of the O’otham peoples whose original lands Tucson is situated on. “The Nukutham, the traditional O’otham guardians of sacred sites, said not only were they not informed of the nature and scope of the experiment, but they could not consent to such a project on any O’otham lands,” said Eve Reyes-Aguirre (Calpolli Nahuacalco of Izkalotlan), community organizer at Tonatierra.

“This started an Indigenous movement of opposition of the SCoPEx project. The rejection that happened by Indigenous Peoples in southern Arizona halted sending high-altitude balloons injecting aerosols and other materials into Father Sky.  Whenever we find out about these insane projects being proposed in Indigenous territories, our immediate response is to contact groups in our network”, said Tom BK Goldtooth, Executive Director, Indigenous Environmental Network.

As Eve Reyes-Aguirre learned of the ending of SCoPEx she shared, “Indigenous Peoples welcome the decision to close down the solar geoengineering experiments. False climate solutions and experimental procedures like solar engineering and carbon trading have never been the answer to reverse climate change. Indigenous peoples lived in balance with Mother Earth since time immemorial. We have always had the knowledge of how to live in balance and in harmony with our mother, and this knowledge is passed on to our children. It is well past time for Indigenous Peoples to be at the forefront of these discussions so that we may work together to develop realistic, sustainable solutions. Our future generations and all of humanity depend on it.” 

Moreover, in 2021, the Swedish Space Corporation called off a SCoPEx test flight in Kiruna, Sweden, following IEN notifying the Saami Reindeer Association which led to the Saami Council demanding Harvard University shut the Sweden project down. The Saami opposition led to international Indigenous organizations supporting Indigenous rejection of SCoPEx. Read the official statement from the  Saami Council here. 

“The proponents of the project wrongly assume that the resistance of Indigenous Peoples is based solely on the so-called ‘moral Hazard’ argument, or the concerns that this project will deter efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. In reality, what we see is the consistent testing of these technologies on Indigenous Territories. The climate crisis is a result of racism, colonialism, and white supremacy. Co²lonialism, and the disaster capitalism that is known as geoengineering are rooted in the same values. This historical strategy to overstep the rights of Indigenous Peoples to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent is a continued colonial practice. Geoengineers believe the violation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples is justified by the supposed (and assumed) global benefits of their so-called technologies. Our resistance is rooted in Indigenous cosmology, with wisdom from time immemorial to honor the Sacredness of Mother Earth and Father Sky. ” Panganga Pungowiyi, Climate Geoengineering Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network

“Our network celebrates the current decision to close down the SCoPEx project. The impacts of solar geoengineering would be disastrous for the climate, environment, humanity, and all life as we know it, particularly when deployed at scale. We understand the manipulation of the stratosphere and any solar geoengineering to be a violation of Indigenous cosmovision, as well as the creative principles of the harmony of the natural ecological systems of Mother Earth and Father Sky. Indigenous Peoples are generationally educated to treat nature with love and respect, not as an experiment of techno-utopianism.” says Tom BK Goldtooth, Executive Director, Indigenous Environmental Network.

IEN, the Saami, Tonatierra Nahuacalli, and other Indigenous Peoples throughout the world will continue to watch these solar geoengineering management (SRM) research and development projects. Even though Harvard canceled its SCoPEx project, Harvard has stated it will continue solar geoengineering research “under the auspices of the Solar Geoengineering Research Program, which will continue to explore the many dimensions of this issue, including the science and engineering, governance, and political and social implications.” The Indigenous Environmental Network, with many alliances such as the HOME alliance, will continue to monitor geoengineering technologies and provide education and resistance to these experiments that do not address climate mitigation and violate the sacredness of Mother Earth.