International Day of Indigenous People and Their Role in Combating Climate Change

Indigenous people are increasingly being recognized in international development regimes, including climate change action. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations group that provides authoritative international communication on the scientific understanding of climate change fully recognizes Indigenous peoples and their knowledge in mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Given their valuable knowledge acquired from their many years of constant interaction with the environment, Indigenous peoples’ role in climate science is useful in three main ways:

(1) their local observations and experiences with the environment can complement existing knowledge about climate change, particularly in data-deficient and under-researched regions;
(2) their natural resources dependent livelihoods and the value they place on forestry resources help in supporting local-based mitigation practices;
(3) their experiences with climatic phenomena helps in designing evidence-based adaptation responses that are appropriate to communities at risk of climate change.

However, a paradox between Indigenous communities and climate change remains a vexing issue in most international policy debates. Some argue that they tend to be innocent victims of climate change. Across the globe, they are among the first communities to be affected by the consequences of climate change, even though Indigenous peoples contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, climate change exacerbates their difficulties when it comes to loss of land, resources, and economic marginalization. Furthermore, despite the crucial role they can play in combating climate change, their knowledge has not been fully integrated into climate change regimes.

This Research Topic is aimed to commemorate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples and to highlight the crucial role these communities play in the preservation of natural resources. The Topic explores their challenges, threats and contributions from an economics of climate change perspective.