In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Prabindra Shakya about Rethinking Sustainable Development with Indigenous Leadership — and why climate progress, energy transitions, and the Sustainable Development Goals must move beyond top-down technical models. Prabindra, a human rights and Indigenous rights defender with nearly two decades of experience, argues that sustainable development will only succeed when Indigenous leadership and traditional knowledge are placed at the center of decision-making.

Drawing from his work in Nepal and across Asia, Prabindra explains how many modern development projects — from hydropower and mining to carbon markets — continue patterns of dispossession under the banner of progress. While the impacts are often local, the drivers are global: international finance, supply chains, and legal systems that fail to recognize Indigenous peoples as rights-holders.

We explore what real balance looks like in the energy transition, why “green” solutions can still cause harm if communities are excluded, and how Indigenous-led energy and development models offer practical alternatives. The conversation also dives into the realities of advocacy — pushing multilateral banks, leveraging international standards, and securing small but meaningful wins for communities.

If we are serious about climate action and equitable development, we must rethink sustainable development — and ensure Indigenous leadership shapes the path forward.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Eriel Deranger of Indigenous Climate Action about why protecting Indigenous rights and lands must be central to any real climate solution.

Through this discussion we unpack the tension between urgency and intention in climate action, why “inclusion” often becomes assimilation, and what it takes to build climate solutions that are equitable, durable, and grounded in real community power.

This conversation is a call to look back in order to move forward—so we don’t rebuild the future using the same systems that created today’s crises.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.