Perceptions About Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation—Case Studies from Indigenous Communities in Northern and Central Australia

Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on hydrologic regimes and freshwater ecosystems, and yet few basins have adequate numerical models to guide the development of freshwater climate adaptation strategies. Such strategies can build on existing freshwater conservation activities, and incorporate predicted climate change impacts. We illustrate this concept with three case studies. In the Upper Klamath Basin of the western USA, a shift in land management practices would buffer this landscape from a declining snowpack. In the Murray–Darling Basin of south-eastern Australia, identifying the requirements of flood-dependent natural values would better inform the delivery of environmental water in response to reduced runoff and less water. In the Savannah Basin of the south-eastern USA, dam managers are considering technological and engineering upgrades in response to more severe floods and droughts, which would also improve the implementation of recommended environmental flows. Even though the three case studies are in different landscapes, they all contain significant freshwater biodiversity values. These values are threatened by water allocation problems that will be exacerbated by climate change, and yet all provide opportunities for the development of effective climate adaptation strategies.

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Climate Change, Mining and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge in Australia

Social Inclusion ◽

10.17645/si.v4i1.442 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 92-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tony Birch

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Sea Levels ◽

Depth Of Knowledge ◽

The North ◽

Weather Events ◽

Rising Sea Levels ◽

Indigenous Society

Australia, in common with nations globally, faces an immediate and future environmental and economic challenge as an outcome of climate change. Indigenous communities in Australia, some who live a precarious economic and social existence, are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Impacts are already being experienced through dramatic weather events such as floods and bushfires. Other, more gradual changes, such as rising sea levels in the north of Australia, will have long-term negative consequences on communities, including the possibility of forced relocation. Climate change is also a historical phenomenon, and Indigenous communities hold a depth of knowledge of climate change and its impact on local ecologies of benefit to the wider community when policies to deal with an increasingly warmer world are considered. Non-Indigenous society must respect this knowledge and facilitate alliances with Indigenous communities based on a greater recognition of traditional knowledge systems.

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Climate Change Observations of Indigenous Communities in the Indian Himalaya

Weather Climate and Society ◽

10.1175/wcas-d-20-0077.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 245-257

Author(s):

Vikram S. Negi ◽

Shinny Thakur ◽

Rupesh Dhyani ◽

Indra D. Bhatt ◽

Ranbeer S. Rawal

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Western Himalaya ◽

Warming Trend ◽

Indian Himalaya ◽

Climate Anomalies ◽

Change Perceptions ◽

The Himalaya ◽

Instrumental Temperature

AbstractMountains are important global sites for monitoring biological and socioecological responses to climate change, and the Himalaya has some of the world’s most rapid and visible signs of climate change. The increased frequency and severity of climate anomalies in the region are expected to significantly affect livelihoods of indigenous communities in the region. This study documents the perceptions of indigenous communities of climate change in the western Himalaya of India. The study highlights the power of knowledge and understanding available to indigenous people as they observe and respond to climate change impacts. We conducted a field-based study in 14 villages that represent diverse socioecological features along an altitudinal range of 1000–3800 m MSL in the western Himalaya. Among the sampled population, most of the respondents (>95%) agreed that climate is changing. However, people residing at low- and high-altitude villages differ significantly in their perception, with more people at high altitudes believing in an overall warming trend. Instrumental temperature and rainfall from nearby meteorological stations also supported the perception of local inhabitants. The climate change perceptions in the region were largely determined by sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, and income as well as altitude. A logistic regression, which exhibited significant association of sociodemographic characteristics with climate change perceptions, further supported these findings. The study concluded that the climate change observations of local communities can be usefully utilized to develop adaptation strategies and mitigation planning in the Himalayan region.

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Anthropogenic climate change detected in natural and human systems of the world’s mountains

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-2257 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Huggel ◽

Simon K. Allen ◽

Indra D. Bhatt ◽

Rithodi Chakraborty ◽

Fabian Drenkhan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Resources ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Mountain Regions ◽

Wide Range ◽

Mountain Systems ◽

Human Systems

Mountains cover about a quarter of the Earth&#8217;s land surface and are home to or serve a substantial fraction of the global population with essential ecosystem services, in particular water, food, energy, and recreation. While mountain systems are expected to be highly exposed to climate change, we currently lack a comprehensive global picture of the extent to which environmental and human systems in mountain regions have been affected by recent anthropogenic climate change.Here we undertake an unprecedented effort to detect observed impacts of climate change in mountains regions across all continents. We follow the approach implemented in the IPCC 5th Assessment Report (AR5) and follow-up research where we consider whether a natural or human system has changed beyond its baseline behavior in the absence of climate change, and then attribute the observed change to different drivers, including anthropogenic climate change. We apply an extensive review of peer-reviewed and grey literature and identify more than 300 samples of impacts (aggregate and case studies). We show that a wide range of natural and human systems in mountains have been affected by climate change, including the cryosphere, the water cycle and water resources, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, energy production, infrastructure, agriculture, health, migration, tourism, community and cultural values and disasters. Our assessment documents that climate change impacts are observed in mountain regions on all continents. However, the explicit distinction of different drivers contributing to or determining an observed change is often highly challenging; particularly due to widespread data scarcity in mountain regions. In that context, we were also able to document a high amount of impacts in previously under-reported continents such as Africa and South America. In particular, we have been able to include a substantial number of place-based insights from local/indigenous communities representing important alternative worldviews.The role of human influence in observed climate changes is evaluated using data from multiple gridded observational climate products and global climate models. We find that anthropogenic climate change has a clear and discernable fingerprint in changing natural and human mountain systems across the globe. In the cryosphere, ecosystems, water resources and tourism the contribution of anthropogenic climate change to observed changes is significant, showing the sensitivity of these systems to current and future climate change. Furthermore, our analysis reveals the need to consider the plurality of knowledge systems through which climate change impacts are being understood in mountain regions. Such attempts at inclusivity, which addresses issues of representation and justice, should be deemed necessary in exploring climate change impacts.

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International and Domestic Law Dimensions of Climate Justice for Arctic Indigenous Peoples

Revue générale de droit ◽

10.7202/1021212ar ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 113-150 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elizabeth Ann Kronk Warner ◽

Randall S. Abate

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Justice ◽

Case Studies ◽

Indigenous Peoples ◽

Arctic Region ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

The Arctic ◽

Indian Country ◽

Indigenous Nations ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

The Arctic region is in crisis from the effects of climate change. The impacts of climate change pose a particular threat to Arctic indigenous communities. Because of the disproportionate impacts of climate change, these indigenous communities are environmental justice communities. Part I of this article discusses how indigenous nations are environmental justice communities and discusses the unique factors that may apply to environmental justice claims arising in Indian country. The article then presents two case studies to explore how, if at all, these concepts have been previously applied to environmental justice claims brought by various Arctic indigenous communities. Part II addresses the Inuit Circumpolar Conference’s petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Part III considers the Native Village of Kivalina’s lawsuit against numerous private emitters of greenhouse gases. These case studies underscore the failure of international and domestic forums’ consideration of the special situation of Arctic indigenous peoples as environmental justice communities.

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Climatic Changes, Water Systems, and Adaptation Challenges in Shawi Communities in the Peruvian Amazon

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12083422 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 3422 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paola A. Torres-Slimming ◽

Carlee J. Wright ◽

Guillermo Lancha ◽

Cesar P. Carcamo ◽

Patricia J. Garcia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Comparative Method ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Household Survey ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Water Systems ◽

Climatic Changes ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Peruvian Amazon ◽

Weather Changes

Climate change impacts on water systems have consequences for Indigenous communities. We documented climatic changes on water systems observed by Indigenous Shawi and resultant impacts on health and livelihoods, and explored adaptation options and challenges in partnership with two Indigenous Shawi communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Qualitative data were collected via PhotoVoice, interviews, focus group discussions, and transect walks, and analyzed using a constant comparative method and thematic analysis. Quantitative data were collected via a household survey and analyzed descriptively. Households observed seasonal weather changes over time (n = 50; 78%), which had already impacted their family and community (n = 43; 86%), such as more intense rainfall resulting in flooding (n = 29; 58%). Interviewees also described deforestation impacts on the nearby river, which were exacerbated by climate-related changes, including increased water temperatures (warmer weather, exacerbated by fewer trees for shading) and increased erosion and turbidity (increased rainfall, exacerbated by riverbank instability due to deforestation). No households reported community-level response plans for extreme weather events, and most did not expect government assistance when such events occurred. This study documents how Indigenous peoples are experiencing climatic impacts on water systems, and highlights how non-climatic drivers, such as deforestation, exacerbate climate change impacts on water systems and community livelihoods in the Peruvian Amazon.

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Benefits and challenges of streamlined life-cycle assessment for SMEs – findings from case studies on climate change impacts

International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology ◽

10.1080/13504509.2019.1646344 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (7) ◽

pp. 625-634 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Niemistö ◽

T. Myllyviita ◽

J. Judl ◽

A. Holma ◽

S. Sironen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Case Studies ◽

Climate Change Impacts

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Calls to Action: Climate Change and Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Arctic

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-2016 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ranjan Datta

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Food Sovereignty ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Indigenous Community ◽

Assessment Policy ◽

Policy Guideline ◽

Indigenous Perspectives ◽

Indigenous Elders

This study is&#160;responding&#160;reconciling Indigenous climate change and food sovereignty in Arctic. We will explore, how recent climate change (and interpretation) is challenging to Indigenous food sovereignty sources; and what is at stake in processes such as hunting consultation, impact assessment, regulatory hearings, approvals (including negotiation of benefits), monitoring? and what reformed processes can build Indigenous community capacity and supports robust decisions? The outcomes will assist policy makers and communities to guide future consultations and impacts assessment guideline and climate change planning initiatives. We (as an interdisciplinary research team of Indigenous Elders, knowledge-keepers, Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars) will focus on Indigenous understanding of Indigenous philosophies of climate change and the connectivity between climate change and food sovereignty and sustainability related to the interactions and inter-dependencies with health security, Indigenous environmental and cultural value protection. Indigenous knowledge-ways have much to offer in support of resiliency of climate change and water infrastructure in Indigenous communities, intercultural reconceptualization of research methodologies, environmental sustainability, and educational programs which support Indigenous communities.&#160;Action Plan: Objective: Supporting Indigenous perspectives on climate change impact management and food sovereignty. This includes involving members of Indigenous community to offer insight into Indigenous cultural and community responsibilities of Indigenous climate change impacts management to inform food sovereignty performance review policy development. Contribution: The designing, coordinating, and hosting an interdisciplinary Focused Dialogue Session on the relationship between climate change impacts management and food sovereignty. This Dialogue Session creates new scholarly knowledge about pipeline leak impacts and food sovereignty processes. Objective: Developing effective and trustful engagement dialogs to build capacity among Indigenous Elders, Knowledge-keepers, and scholars. Contribution: This objective supports Indigenous perspectives through specific, policy-orientated research that positively impacts their vision and allow them to develop new ways of climate change impacts and food sovereignty. This reveals climate change impacts management and food sovereignty policy and practices in Arctic. Objective: Mobilize knowledge and partnership for reconciliation (specifically translate research results into evidence for policy-making) through developing an impact assessment policy guideline. Contribution: The impact assessment policy guideline shares knowledge and implications of climate change impacts management policy documents local, provincially, and nationally and assist in the articulation and practice of food sovereignty source protection, as culturally and community informed.

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