Religious Perspectives on Climate Change Among Indigenous Communities: Questions and Challenges for Ethnological Research

Communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT) are at the forefront of the global climate emergency. Yet, they are not passive victims; local-level programs are being implemented across the region to maintain livelihoods and promote adaptation. At the same time, there is a recent call within global governance literature to pay attention to how global policy is implemented and affecting people on the ground. Thinking about these two processes, we ask the question: (how) can global governance assist northern Indigenous communities in Canada in reaching their goals of adapting their food systems to climate change? To answer this question, we argue for a “community needs” approach when engaging in global governance literature and practice, which puts community priorities and decision-making first. As part of a collaborative research partnership, we highlight the experiences of Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation, located in Kakisa, NWT, Canada. We include their successes of engaging in global network building and the systemic roadblock of lack of formal land tenure. Moreover, we analyze potential opportunities for this community to engage with global governance instruments and continue connecting to global networks that further their goals related to climate change adaptation and food sovereignty.

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It’s Our Fault: A Global Comparison of Different Ways of Explaining Climate Change

Human Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10745-021-00229-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Schnegg ◽

Coral Iris O’Brian ◽

Inga Janina Sievert

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Local Knowledge ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Point Of View ◽

Global Comparison ◽

Local Phenomenon ◽

World Regions ◽

Survey Results ◽

Specific Factors

AbstractInternational surveys suggest people increasingly agree the climate is changing and humans are the cause. One reading of this is that people have adopted the scientific point of view. Based on a sample of 28 ethnographic cases we argue that this conclusion might be premature. Communities merge scientific explanations with local knowledge in hybrid ways. This is possible because both discourses blame humans as the cause of the changes they observe. However, the specific factors or agents blamed differ in each case. Whereas scientists identify carbon dioxide producers in particular world regions, indigenous communities often blame themselves, since, in many lay ontologies, the weather is typically perceived as a local phenomenon, which rewards and punishes people for their actions. Thus, while survey results show approval of the scientific view, this agreement is often understood differently and leads to diverging ways of allocating meaning about humans and the weather.

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Indigenous climate change adaptation: New directions for emerging scholarship

Environment and Planning E Nature and Space ◽

10.1177/25148486211022450 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 251484862110224

Author(s):

Danielle Emma Johnson ◽

Meg Parsons ◽

Karen Fisher

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Indigenous Peoples ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Food Sovereignty ◽

Small Body ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Cultural Continuity ◽

Power Dynamics ◽

Indigenous Development

Although Indigenous peoples’ perspectives and concerns have not always been accommodated in climate change adaptation research and practice, a burgeoning literature is helping to reframe and decolonise climate adaptation in line with Indigenous peoples’ lived experiences. In this review, we bring together climate adaptation, decolonising and intersectional scholarship to chart the progress that has been made in better analysing and responding to climate change in Indigenous contexts. We identify a wealth of literature helping to decolonise climate adaptation scholarship and praxis by attending to colonial and neo-colonial injustices implicated in Indigenous peoples’ climate vulnerability, taking seriously Indigenous peoples’ relational ontologies, and promoting adaptation that draws on Indigenous capacities and aspirations for self-determination and cultural continuity. Despite calls to interrogate heterogenous experiences of climate change within Indigenous communities, the decolonising climate and adaptation scholarship has made limited advances in this area. We examine the small body of research that takes an intersectional approach to climate adaptation and explores how the multiple subjectivities and identities that Indigenous peoples occupy produce unique vulnerabilities, capacities and encounters with adaptation policy. We suggest the field might be expanded by drawing on related studies from Indigenous development, natural resource management, conservation, feminism, health and food sovereignty. Greater engagement with intersectionality works to drive innovation in decolonising climate adaptation scholarship and practice. It can mitigate the risk of maladaptation, avoid entrenchment of inequitable power dynamics, and ensures that even the most marginal groups within Indigenous communities benefit from adaptation policies and programmes.

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How Does the Arctic Council Support Conservation of Arctic Biodiversity?

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12125042 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 5042

Author(s):

Tom Barry ◽

Brynhildur Daviðsdóttir ◽

Níels Einarsson ◽

Oran R. Young

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Protection ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

The Arctic ◽

Arctic Council ◽

National Interests ◽

Conflicting Demands ◽

Agent Of Change ◽

Insight Into

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic states, indigenous communities, and peoples on issues of common importance. The rising geo-political importance of the Arctic and the onset of climate change has resulted in the Council becoming a focus of increasing interest from both inside and beyond the Arctic. This has resulted in new demands placed on the Council, attracting an increasing number of participants, and instigating a period of transformation as Arctic states work to find a way to balance conflicting demands to improve the Council’s effectiveness and take care of national interests. This paper considers whether, during this time of change, the Council is having an impact on the issues it was formed to address, i.e., environmental protection and sustainable development. To provide answers, it looks at how the Council reports on and evaluates progress towards the implementation of recommendations it makes regarding biodiversity, how it identifies where activities have had impacts and uncovers the mechanisms through which they were successful, to provide an insight into how the Arctic Council can be an agent of change.

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Changing times, changing stories: generational differences in climate change perspectives from four remote indigenous communities in Subarctic Alaska

Ecology and Society ◽

10.5751/es-08463-210328 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Nicole M. Herman-Mercer ◽

Elli Matkin ◽

Melinda J. Laituri ◽

Ryan C. Toohey ◽

Maggie Massey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Generational Differences ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Changing Times

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How Indigenous Communities Are Adapting To Climate Change: Insights From The Climate-Ready Tribes Initiative

Health Affairs ◽

10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00997 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 39 (12) ◽

pp. 2153-2159

Author(s):

Paul J. Schramm ◽

Angelica L. Al Janabi ◽

Larry W. Campbell ◽

Jamie L. Donatuto ◽

Shasta C. Gaughen

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Indigenous Communities

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What Can Traditional Indigenous Knowledge Teach Us About Changing Our Approach to Human Activity and Environmental Stewardship in Order to Reduce the Severity of Climate Change?

International Indigenous Policy Journal ◽

10.18584/iipj.2018.9.3.6 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John G Hansen ◽

Rose Antsanen

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Indigenous Knowledge ◽

Human Activity ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Knowledge Systems ◽

Environmental Stewardship ◽

Fundamental Assumption ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

Many Indigenous communities living on traditional lands have not contributed significantly to harmful climate change. Yet, they are the most likely to be impacted by climate change. This article discusses environmental stewardship in relation to Indigenous experiences and worldviews. Indigenous knowledge teaches us about environmental stewardship. It speaks of reducing the severity of climate change and of continued sustainable development. The methodology that directs this research is premised on the notion that the wisdom of the Elders holds much significance for addressing the harmful impacts of climate change in the present day. This article's fundamental assumption is that Indigenous knowledge offers practical and theoretical recommendations to current approaches to human activity and environmental issues. We share findings from interviews with Cree Elders who discussed their worldviews and knowledge systems. Findings revealed that Indigenous knowledge offers a philosophy and practice that serve to reduce the severity of climate change.

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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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