Indigenous Approaches are Revealing Gaps in Our Climate Action Strategies
G20 Interfaith Forum
The webinar will examine how including indigenous spirituality and traditional knowledge in climate change discussions might promote environmental justice, focusing specifically on the Pacific region.
The webinar organizers provided background to the issue in a concept note:
“Climate change is now dubbed as one of, if not the biggest threat of the 21st Century, due to the destructive effects it poses to have on natural and human systems,” they said. “Paradoxically, grassroots indigenous communities that have not participated in the industrial activities deemed as the primary cause of climate change are found to be the most vulnerable. The changing climate, escalated by non-climatic socioeconomic stressors, poses a challenge to the adaptive capacity of indigenous/native communities in a manner that is ominously different from non-indigenous populations.”
Climate change strategies lack commitment to include adaptation approaches that have been implemented effectively and inexpensively by indigenous/native communities for centuries without the help of modern science.
Tafue Lusama, one of the webinar’s speakers, said this lack of inclusion and consideration has been going on for too long.
"From the 1950s to date, the climate narrative and policies have been shaped by climate sciences and Western philosophies and frameworks,” Lusama said. “Indigenous climate knowledge has not been considered seriously as an important contributor to our global struggle to find solutions to combat climate change. It is about time that do away with the 'one-truth' ideology, and embrace what the indigenous communities have to offer through an integrated approach to climate change."
Arthur Dahl, another panelist, added that indigenous communities have other things to teach in addition to practical adaptation/prevention approaches.
“Climate change is a particular threat to indigenous peoples who are suffering the greatest impacts, especially on islands,” Dahl said. “Their deep knowledge of nature as part of themselves, materially and spiritually, gives them resilience and solidarity in the face of change that holds much to teach other communities around the world.”
The webinar is free to the public and will take place on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Register at https://tinyurl.com/38cdz2mu
About the G20 Process
The Group of Twenty, or G20, is the premier forum for international economic cooperation,
bringing together the leaders of Earth’s most prosperous economies. Collectively, G20
members represent around 80 percent of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the
global population and three-quarters of international trade. Throughout the year,
representatives from G20 countries gather to discuss financial and socioeconomic issues as
well as broader humanitarian issues targeted by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
About the G20 Interfaith Forum
The G20 Interfaith Forum seeks global solutions by collaborating with religious thought
leaders and political representatives to help shape the overall G20 agenda. It draws on the
vital roles that religious institutions and beliefs play in world affairs, reflecting a rich
diversity of institutions, ideas, and values. Through its extensive network of networks, it
helps prioritize key global policy goals and point toward practical means of implementation
at every level of society.
For more information, please visit www.g20interfaith.org.
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Marianna Richardson
G20 Interfaith Forum
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