Two hundred countries agreeing for the first time to move away from fossil fuels captured the biggest world headlines at the COP28 conference in Dubai.

But a smaller B.C. contingent working on the sidelines was also finding partnerships and solutions that could help the world reach its greenhouse gas emission goals.

The First Nations Climate Initiative (FNCI), a collaboration of four Northwest B.C. communities: the Lax Kwsa国际传媒檃laams, Metlakatla, Nisgasa国际传媒檃 and Haisla First Nations. Each is looking to fight climate change while alleviating poverty. COP28 progressed their goal of creating green shipping corridors with a memorandum of understanding signed with several Asian countries.

Alex Grzybowski, who has been working with the group since before the initiativesa国际传媒檚 inception, said Indigenous people are on the front line of climate change. Many are experiencing its impacts in their communities and their connection to the land and water means theysa国际传媒檙e very familiar with every change.

sa国际传媒淭heir interest in mitigating and adapting to climate change is as strong as anyonesa国际传媒檚,sa国际传媒� Grzybowski said in an interview.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the territories of two member nations fuelled their concern about whether the fuel would help alleviate climate change or be part of the problem, he said.

Their focus turned to helping create a green corridor that would decarbonize every part of the global shipping industry, both on land and at sea. Having fossil fuel-powered ports use zero-emission fuels would be major shift, Grzybowski said, but it comes as new enterprises and infrastructure are emerging to make the transition possible.

sa国际传媒淚n the Canadian context, who should own all that? The last time we built the economy, First Nations ended up being bystanders and didnsa国际传媒檛 end up owning the major infrastructure,sa国际传媒� Grzybowski said.

The same communities that were once removed from those opportunities now want to be leaders this time around. The First Nations Climate Initiative aims to leverage its stake in the carbon-based gas to transition into the emerging hydrogen sector sa国际传媒� while being the model in how to do just that.

A report commissioned by the First Nations group found the natural gas projects theysa国际传媒檙e involved in could help decarbonize steel manufacturing in Asia, especially South Korea since itsa国际传媒檚 a major producer of the emissions intensive material.

Those hopes materialized at COP28sa国际传媒檚 Korean pavilion, where the Nationssa国际传媒� delegates met a company that will be converting its steel feedstock from coal to natural gas.

It would then use an emission-free process called methane pyrolysis to extract hydrogen that would power the steel manufacturing while solidifying the natural gassa国际传媒� carbon sa国际传媒� rather than emitting it sa国际传媒� into materials that can be used in things like roads, tires and batteries.

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 what the Koreans are thinking of doing and thatsa国际传媒檚 an opportunity for Canada, and particularly First Nations in Canada to contribute,sa国际传媒� Grzybowski said. sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e probably not going to stop using steel, so we need to manufacture it in a way that doesnsa国际传媒檛 produce GHGs.sa国际传媒�

COP28 also saw the First Nations Climate Initiative present the progress itsa国际传媒檚 made on its climate action plan, especially using nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change. The four Nations and others theysa国际传媒檝e partnered with are strongly interested in recovering ecosystems in their territories that have been degraded and led to cultural connections to the land being lost.

sa国际传媒淩ecovery of those ecosystems is very important to their cultures,sa国际传媒� Grzybowski said.

The initiative has brought nature-based solution recommendations to the province, which are in the process of being implemented. Those also include tapping into the multi-billion dollar carbon credit market that could see the natural carbon sinks used as a revenue source.

While at COP28, among the many seemingly unthinkable innovations Grzybowski saw was a Japanese freighter equipped with turbine-like sails that would create electricity. That electricity would then be used to desalinize ocean water before extracting hydrogen from the resulting fresh water.

sa国际传媒淚t was inspiring and it was also confidence building to know that there are solutions and we need to pursue them.sa国际传媒�

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