Significance of different ways of knowing in responding to the climate crisis: The necessity for Indigenous knowledge (original) (raw)
Related papers
Addressing Climate Change with Indigenous Knowledge
International Journal of Climate Change, 2(1), 33-47., 2010
Climate change has become a global problem affecting especially the world’s poorest people in developing countries. Well documented failures of developing programs to address climate change issues have shown that western technologies and concepts may not fit the cultural context of many developing nations. Sustainable solutions need to draw on indigenous knowledge that is compatible with the local culture. Therefore, this article presents concepts based on indigenous knowledge that may help to design sustainable development projects to address climate change. The article discusses numerous advantages of involving local people in environmental assessments. Furthermore, indigenous coping mechanisms to deal with droughts and flooding as major impacts of climate change are presented. Coping mechanism range from special cropping methods, seed preparation, and water management techniques as a response to drought, whereas bamboo platforms, floating seedbeds, stilt houses, and drainage channels are examples for indigenous answers to severe flooding. Also, techniques such as forest gardening, agroforesty, communal forest management, and forest protection based on supernatural beliefs are presented as indigenous approaches to tackle deforestation as a major source for atmospheric CO2 increase leading to global warming. In addition, the advantages of indigenous communication techniques for information dissemination for the purpose of learning and disaster communication are explored. Finally, the problems of indigenous knowledge loss due to acculturation and western/modernity impacts are discussed. The article concludes with a set of recommendations on how to increase the efficiency of documentation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge.
2018
Many indigenous peoples and marginalized populations live in environments that are highly exposed to climate change impacts, such as arid zones, small islands , high-altitude regions, and the Arctic. As a result of this heightened exposure and their natural resource-based livelihoods, these societies are already observing and responding to changes exacerbated by climate change. Local and indigenous knowledge is therefore a source of invaluable information for climate change assessment and adaptation. This unique transdisciplinary publication is the result of collaboration between UNESCO 's Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) programme, the United Nations University's Traditional Knowledge Initiative, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and other organizations. Chapters written by indigenous peoples, scientists and development experts provide insight into how diverse societies observe and adapt to changing environments. A broad range of case studies illustrate how these societies, building upon traditional knowledge handed down through generations, are already developing their own solutions for dealing with a rapidly changing climate and how this might be useful on a global scale. Of interest to policy makers, social and natural scientists, and indigenous peoples and experts, this book provides an indispensable reference for those interested in climate science, policy and adaptation. This publication is the second in the "Local & Indigenous Knowledge" series published by UNESCO. iii
Indigenous Knowledge and Navigating the Rising Tides of Climate Change and Other Existential Threats
Revista Latinoamericana de Etnomatemática,, 2021
Existential threats to Indigenous People's lands, cultures, and languages are exacerbated and intensified by climate change and its effects, particularly to those groups deeply connected to natural systems. Through five case vignettes situated in Alaska, Yap State, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, this paper describes adaptive responses at the intersection of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and climate change. Though their locations, history, and customs vary, they share an underlying similarity in the urgency expressed for their Traditional Ecological Knowledge to be part of a response that leads to sustainability. Navigating these rising and turbulent waters requires new ways of thinking, political will, governmental leadership, and values commensurate with harmonious living. To write this paper required a significant change in a paradigm that guided my work in ethnomathematics from the school context to the larger social-cultural-ecological systems. Resumen Las amenazas a la existencia de tierras, culturas y lenguajes de los pueblos indígenas se ven exacerbadas e intensificadas por el cambio climático y sus efectos, en particular para los grupos profundamente conectados a los sistemas naturales. A través de cinco viñetas de casos situados en Alaska, el estado de Yap y la República de las Islas Marshall, este texto describe las respuestas adaptativas en la intersección del conocimiento indígena y el cambio climático. Aunque sus ubicaciones, historia y costumbres varían, comparten una similitud subyacente en la urgencia expresada de que su Conocimiento Ecológico Tradicional sea parte de la respuesta que lleve a la sostenibilidad. Navegar por estas turbulentas y crecientes mareas requiere nuevas formas de pensamiento, voluntad política, liderazgo gubernamental y valores acordes con un vivir armonioso. Escribir este artículo requirió un cambio significativo en un paradigma que guió mi trabajo en Etnomatemáticas, desde el contexto escolar hacia sistemas socioculturales-ecológicos más amplios.
2019
The United States is a demographically and regionally diverse nation seeking to achieve equity among its constituent members. Within this pluralistic democracy, many Indigenous Nations continue to live upon the lands that they have occupied since "time immemorial." Tribal governments are not just "stakeholders" in public policy debates over climate change. As sovereign governments, they hold political rights to land, water and natural resources. As Indigenous peoples, they also have strong cultural connections to their ancestral lands and environments. Many Indigenous peoples continue to possess traditional norms of sustainability that have enabled their resilience and survival for generations. This Essay argues that there is a vital role for Indigenous sustainability within the frameworks that drive climate policy and sustainable development and explores the legal, political, and moral arguments for the inclusion of tribal governments within the decision-making structures of the United States and its global partners.
Sociology Study
From a Western standpoint, Alaska Native Villages (ANVs) and other indigenous groups have a particular vulnerability to climate change. At the same time, these groups may be seen by themselves and Westerners as having particular knowledge that can help them adapt to climate change. This paper explores how ANVs are vulnerable to climate change and considers factors such as colonization that aggravate this vulnerability. It then explores how indigenous community knowledge may reduce vulnerability and facilitate adaptation and resilience. It concludes that indigenous community knowledge alone is insufficient to support adaptation and resilience, given the degree of social, political, and climate change, so long as Western institutions privilege Western science over other forms of knowledge. That said, indigenous community knowledge should inform agency decision-making and development projects and may serve as cultural capital that can support resilience. The desire to use indigenous knowledge may be a proxy for a larger issue-the need to include indigenous communities in decision-making about climate change.
The Impact of Climate Change on Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Practices
The Impact of Climate Change on Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Practices, 2023
The effects of climate change on human societies are widespread, especially for indigenous populations who depend on ecosystems and natural resources for their survival and cultural traditions. In this paper, the effect of climate change on indigenous knowledge and cultural practices is examined, with particular attention paid to how shifting climatic conditions and other environmental factors are influencing accumulated ecological wisdom and indigenous cultural practices. The study highlights the varied ways that climate change is affecting indigenous peoples by utilizing ethnographic data from numerous indigenous communities around the world. The study highlights the ways that indigenous tribes are adapting to climate change, including by changing their traditional beliefs and behaviors. Additionally, it looks at the difficulties indigenous peoples experience as a result of climate change, such as biodiversity loss, the deterioration of cultural legacy, and the danger to their social and economic well-being. The study also investigates how themes of social justice and human rights, such as the right to self-determination and the preservation of cultural legacy, intersect with the impact of climate change on indigenous knowledge and practices. According to the study, there are both advantages and disadvantages to how climate change will affect indigenous knowledge and traditional traditions. One the one hand, indigenous peoples are becoming more innovative and creative as a result of climate change, adjusting to the changing environment and creating fresh approaches to resource management and conservation. The resilience of indigenous people is also being weakened by climate change, endangering their cultural legacy and social wellbeing. Overall, this work highlights the urgent need for greater research into how climate change is affecting indigenous knowledge and cultural practices, as well as for practices and policies that promote indigenous communities' ability for adaptation and protect their cultural heritage and human rights.
Women’s Use Of Indigenous Knowledge Systems To Cope With Climate Change
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2019
This research seeks to ascertain the indigenous knowledge systems that are employed to address the impact of climate change, to examine the effectiveness of these coping strategies, and to suggest possible ways of ensuring sustainability of the strategies employed. There are global climate change policies and mechanisms which serve to guide on ways in which climate change should be considered, they include the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the IPCC 2007 Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptations and Vulnerability and the Stern Review on the economies of climate change-2006. Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) are highlighted with the history of these IKS being outlined thereafter the different uses of IKS in various countries are addressed. This desk top research therefore reveals reasons why women should be entrusted with the IKS. The major issue being that women are the ones who labour in the fields and constitute 80% of the agricultural work force and contribute 50%-80% of the work in the fields. They are the ones who are suitably equipped with the various strategies of coping with climate change and predicting the weather so as to ensure food security for their families. Women, however, face challenges in the use of the IKS, chief amongst these challenges is the patriarchal tradition which does not allow them to contribute in decision making.
The recognition of climate change issues facing tribal communities and indigenous peoples in the United States is growing, and understanding its impacts is rooted in indigenous ethical perspectives and systems of ecological knowledge. This foundation presents a context and guide for con-temporary indigenous approaches to address climate change impacts that are comprehensive and holistic. Tribal communities and indigenous peoples across the United States are re-envisioning the role of science in the Anthropocene; working to strengthen government-to-government relationships in climate change initiatives; and leading climate change research, mitigation and adaptation plans through indigenous ingenuity. Unique adaptive capacities of tribal communities stem from their ethics and knowledge, and help frame and guide successful adaptation. As documented in the Special Issue of the Climatic Change Journal on the impacts of climate change to U.S. indigenous communities (Maldonado and others 2...