Question

Environmental Ethics question.

Research what is happening with the situation the Wet’suwet’en, the hereditary chiefs in the area, and the pipeline. The issue is complicated because there are those who are for and against the pipeline that are both native and non-native. Apply Waldron’s discussion of environmental racism and environmental justice to this case. Investigate the issues and give a philosophical and ethical response to the situation.

Please answer this question in detail. Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

Wet’suwet’en territory is a large traditional territory about 300 kilometres west of Prince George, in Northern British Columbia, that is occupied by members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, which comprises five clans. The territory is about 22,000 square kilometres. The nation is unceded territory, meaning it is not covered by treaty, the Wet’suwet’en people have been living on and governing those lands under their laws for generations. Through their system of hereditary governance and talking to the people that they don’t want any pipelines or any projects on their territory that could possibly contaminate water or the land or make people sick. So they made that decision, and they’ve been successful in keeping other pipeline projects out of their territory.

Since the end of 2018, there has been a back and forth between the federal government and the people of the Wet’suwet’en nation over access to their territory for the purpose of building a pipeline. The natural-gas pipeline, known as the Coastal Gas Pipeline Project would run through the territory.

In October 2018, B.C. Premier John Horgan announced for the pipeline project, likening it to the moon landing for the province. In response, members of the Wet’suwet’en nation have been standing their ground at checkpoints and blockades along the Morice West Forest Service Road - a throughway in their territory- in order to protect their land from oil companies trying to access it. This initially came to a head in January 2019, when RCMP advanced on a blockade set up in Unist’ot’en territor (which is part of Wet’suwet’en territory) after a December 2018 court injunction was granted in favour of Coastal GasLink, ordering protesters to remove the blockade.

But on December 31, 2019, the dispute heated up once again, when the B.C. Supreme Court grantedCoastal GasLink an expanded injunction, allowing them to access the land and remove anyone in their way. In response, Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs issued the company an eviction notice in early January, saying the company was violating traditional Wet’suwet’en laws.

As well as the individuals stationed at checkpoints and blockades along the Morice West Forest Service Road, there have been reports of felled trees along the route.