The Vulnerability of African Indigenous Peoples' Traditional Meteorological Knowledge in the Climate Change Debate (original) (raw)
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Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 2012
This article describes, assesses, and explains the growing status of indigenous knowledges (IKs) in climate science and politics. Informed by a critical environmental perspective we review the literature on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), explore the contested nature of this concept, and identify the numerous epistemological obstacles to the appropriate and respectful inclusion of traditional ecological knowledge. While we believe that TEK and Western science are complementary, the inclusion of TEK in climate science and politics has been uneven. In support of our argument, we present a framework for assessment of degrees of inclusion of TEK and apply the framework to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), and the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA). We find that the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol do not account for either indigenous peoples or indigenous people's knowledges. The AR4 includes some references to indigenous peoples but they are often buried in regional chapters. The ACIA is the most inclusive of all the documents examined and represents an important starting point for the inclusion of IKs. Based on the findings of our assessment, we conclude with recommendations for moving forward with greater inclusion of IKs.
African Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change Mitigation: Towards an Afro-Sensed Perspective
Recent trends in climate change are characterised by increased GHG emissions, global warming, and varied effects on natural and human habitats. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide concentrations in the atmosphere were 150%, 262%, and 123%, respectively, above preindustrial levels in 2021 (WMO, 2022). The densely populated continent of Africa has a history of protracted and severe disasters, especially droughts. For instance, four years of below-average rainfall have led to a devastating drought in the Horn of Africa (Weforum, 2022). It has also affected more than 18 million people suffering from extreme famine in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya (US government's Humanitarian Information Unit, in Weforum, 2022). Although there are other contributory factors, significant land degradation in the area has increased the vulnerability of the prevailing environmental precarity. According to Nyong et al. (2007), global economic activity may have had a substantial role in the recent environmental changes in Africa, resulting in instability and uncertainties on multiple levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2014) stated that phenomena linked to this shift, such as severe storms, cyclones, floods, and plagues, have prompted the international community to focus on
Linking Indigenous Knowledge and Observed Climate Change Studies
2010
We present indigenous knowledge narratives and explore their connections to documented temperature and other climate changes and observed climate change impact studies. We then propose a framework for enhancing integration of these indigenous narratives of observed climate change with global assessments. Our aim is to contribute to the thoughtful and respectful integration of indigenous knowledge with scientific data and analysis, so that this rich body of knowledge can inform science, and so that indigenous and traditional peoples can use the tools and methods of science for the benefit of their communities if they choose to do so. Enhancing ways of understanding such connections are critical as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment process gets underway.
The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in Climate Change
Handbook of Research on Protecting and Managing Global Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Climate change is projected to have a negative effect towards food security and attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Africa. Its impact is expected to be extremely severe in regions of Africa that depend on rainwater agriculture and have limited resources to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Much of the climate awareness on climate change comes from models or scenarios that face certain degrees of uncertainty. The knowledge of local and indigenous peoples, commonly mentioned to as local knowledge systems (LKS) or indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), is gradually being recognized as an imperative source of information for climate mitigation and adaptation. It is essential that policymakers draw on the best available knowledge in the face of global climate change.
Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges in Climate Change Initiatives
There is increasing recognition of the significance of how traditional knowledges (TKs) can inform our understanding of the impacts of climate change and strategies for adaptation and mitigation. And yet there are potential risks to indigenous peoples in sharing TKs in federal and other non-indigenous climate change initiatives. We intend the term indigenous peoples to designate the diverse populations in the U.S. who could interact with federal and non-indigenous climate change initiatives in ways that involve TKs, whether in the U.S. they are federally-recognized, state-recognized, or unrecognized. We refer to “indigenous peoples” and “tribes” interchangeably in this document, unless we are talking about a specific group or a specific status related to recognition. These guidelines are intended to examine the significance of TKs in relation to climate change and the potential risks to indigenous peoples in the U.S. for sharing TKs in federal and other non-indigenous climate change initiatives. Although it is common to refer to "traditional knowledge(s)" as individual pieces of information, this term also refers to traditional “knowledge systems" that are deeply embedded in indigenous ways of life. These guidelines use the phrase "traditional knowledges" deliberately in plural form because knowledges are emergent from the symbiotic relationship of indigenous peoples and places - a nature-culture nexus. Tribes and indigenous peoples use “knowledges” to emphasize that there are diverse forms of traditional knowledge and knowledge systems that must be recognized as unique to each tribe and knowledge holder. These guidelines should be used to inform the development of specific protocols in direct and close consultation with indigenous peoples. [http://climatetkw.wordpress.com/\] Federal agencies and national climate change initiatives are recognizing the significance of TKs, and are proposing and funding collaborative efforts between indigenous communities and federal and non-indigenous climate change entities in ways that involve TKs. This interaction requires an understanding of how individual tribes and knowledge holders choose to share or not to share TKs.
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.