Indigenous exploitation: Not just through carbon policies

Although I agree with the critique of the World Bank’s carbon market policies in your article “Climate Change: Indians Speak Out Against Carbon Markets” (May 6), the author ignores the extent of indigenous exploitation routinely seen in the status quo. Take, for example, the Mexican state of Chiapas, with an indigenous population of 27 percent. Even though the state produces 12 percent of Mexico’s natural gas, 46 percent of its coffee and 48 percent of its hydroelectric power, most of its indigenous population is impoverished. The profits from Chiapas’ natural resources are clearly not being equally distributed to benefit the indigenous people.

Rizvi’s analysis should further investigate the effects of climate policies on indigenous populations. It is a blatant understatement to say simply that indigenous people have a “minimal” contribution to global warming- they are also among the groups most negatively affected by it.