A Fatal Thaw: Indigenous People As Climate Change Refugees

Indigenous people are the least responsible for climate change, yet are the demographic most effected by it, becoming the first demographic to be termed climate change refugees. Indigenous knowledge systems and spiritualities such as cosmological beliefs are intertwined with their environment, emphasising the importance of living harmoniously with nature. For example, many hunting and gathering groups have non-western definers of seasons and instead are in tune with their environment’s rhythm of nature in order to survive. Much of their land is coined by outsiders as ‘wilderness’, but these places are Indigenous homelands, of which their inhabitants have in-depth and intimate knowledge of the area in terms of mapping and location, how to look after the environment through stewardship practices, and traditional botany and medicinal herbal knowledge. Furthermore, many groups have land-based religions, which means they practice their religion within specific geographic locations.

Historically, or at least prior to settler-colonialism, the social structure of most Indigenous groups worldwide was based around cultural and political systems that encompassed ecological conditions and considerations. Today, such values are threatened, disrupted or erased as a result of anthropogenic environmental change including primary and secondary consequences of resource extraction sites and urbanisation/ globalisation in which indigenous ‘natural’ landscapes are transformed. Indigenous groups are more sensitive to and effected by climate change because they practice resource-based culture and livelihoods. In addition, their (predominantly) lower socio-economic circumstances render them less able to deal with climate change consequences such as rising waters, droughts, disappearance of ice, wild fires, resource extractions on their lands, or the decline of their food sources. This exemplifies climate injustice as a colonial repressor as it works to erase cultural and sacred sites, food resources, livelihood opportunities, and impacts negatively on health. It also results in the decline of younger generations’ cultural environmental practices and knowledge such as herbal medicinal healing, basketry, fishing and so on.

New weather patterns and ecological change to environments as a result of climate change have far reaching and serious implications for Indigenous people. However, they are not all passive victims, many groups are using their traditional ecological knowledge to help manage and adapt to climate change. In certain areas such as in the States, part of this is the process of decolonisation which requires the return of land to tribes so they can fully determine their own futures, political status and independence whilst looking after the environment with their traditional ecological knowledge. As well as direct climate change, large resource extraction by multinational companies such as pipelines, hydro-electric dams and palm oil plantations lead to natural resource erosion and contamination of waterways. Locations of such undesirable for surrounding communities endeavours disproportionately take place in indigenous homelands leading to the term, ‘environmental racism’.

It is paramount to recognise how climate change interferes at a localised level, reflecting complexities of socio-political contexts in which they take place, and indigenous knowledge and tradition systems within human and non-human contexts. Climate change affects indigenous communities around the globe living in very different ecological environments, for example, desert communities in Saharan Africa who practice nomadic pastoralism are effected with rising temperatures and drought posing huge stresses of finding water sources for themselves and their livestock. Amazonian rainforest groups are impacted by forest fragmentation, and large-scale resource extraction such as deforestation. Mountain communities are also often at forefront of climate change impact due to run off water, change in vegetation and animals used for livelihood and subsistence migrating away, with the risk of more dangerous animals migrating towards the community from the mountain. Furthermore, when talking about climate change scientifically and the creation of iconic and dramatic images of climate change such as glaciers, floods and fires, situational context implications are hidden. A feminist critique of climate change which goes beyond discourses of gender parity, but also advocates for indigenous traditional knowledge systems to be included in conversations around climate and environmental change should be adopted. An understanding of how climate change will affect Indigenous groups’ homelands in practical ways specific to Indigenous life and knowledge systems, including health as not just a human issue, but considering the health of their environment and spiritual realms is likewise needed. There has also been a rise in the murders of environmental and human rights defenders, as well as some being placed on state terrorist lists.

The Indigenous community living on the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea are officially the first climate change refugees. The islands are just 1.5 metres above sea level posing a huge threat to the continuation of the islands. For example, some which were not long ago one island, are now multiple as a result of rising waters. These island communities are at a huge risk of flooding and storm surges, and are affected by warming waters which impact the health of fish, coral reefs and other marine wildlife that they depend on for their subsistence and livelihood.

Native North American tribes such as the Swinomish in northern Washington and the Isle de Jean Charles band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe in Louisiana are similarly effected by climate change. The Swinomish 15 mile reservation sits at or near sea level and is effected by rising waters. In 2010 chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal community, Brian Cladoosby developed the first climate change adaption plan which is now used throughout Indian Country as a template for climate resilience and adaption. Across the country to Louisiana is the Isle de Jean Charles band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe who are incredibly affected by rising Gulf waters and Hurricanes. Over the last 60 years, rising waters have been engulfing the land – only an estimated 320 acre strip remains of what used to be their 22,400 acre island territory. Their chief, Albert Naquin has been a long time climate activist, now advocating for the relocation of his people, knowing that the issue of losing their homeland is no longer a question of if, but when. Yet relocating inevitably impacts cultural identity and ways of life.

The Arctic is being transformed by climate change more rapidly than any other region on Earth. This constitutes a major threat to the Sámi, Europe’s only recognised indigenous population, inhabiting northern regions of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia. Their Arctic territory extends across 338,000 square kilometres and is known as Sápmi. Salmon and reindeer are integral to their livelihoods and culture. Warming waters increase the amount of algae with competes with fish for oxygen and light. Rising temperatures result in delays in annual autumn freezes which in turn poses a greater threat to Sámi ice-fishers, as well as making traditional reindeer herding migrations across the region to winter grazing pastures more difficult. With more time waiting to make the migration and thus less time for the reindeers to graze, the animals are leaner, and so later in the year the money the Sámi can make from their meat decreases. Warming winters also leads to earlier thermal springs which in turn hinders reindeers ability to eat because increasing rainfall forms a layer of ice on lichen pastures (Arctic reindeer’s fodder) which reindeers are unable to break through. This leads to another economic hindrance for Sámi herders as they have to purchase fodder or risk their herds dying. Warmer summers also means reindeer conceive earlier due to increase in plants, and with an increase in reindeer numbers comes heightened competition for food in the winter. The Sámi situation is not dissimilar to the Siberian Nenet who live in Russia’s Arctic tundra. The Nenet’s thousands years old migration tradition of herding their reindeer across the Yamal peninsula has been occurring later and later into December when the ice is finally thick enough to cross due to rising temperatures. As a result, reindeer are hungry as their pastures had been fully grazed which makes the migration harder, threatening the Nenet’s nomadic way of life.

Further across the Arctic circle to Arctic Canada the same issues are taking place for Inuit groups. Many, such as those living in Labrador are finding their traditional knowledge of their environment and subsistence practices of Arctic hunting and trapping becoming increasingly irrelevant due to warming temperatures which deplete ice sheets, increase sea levels and have in some locations cut off traditional hunting grounds and other Inuit communities. Having to buy expensive food from shops is becoming the norm as it is more easily accessible and safer than practicing their traditional methods of obtaining food such as seals, salmon, trout, and wild game.

There are an estimated 370 million indigenous people today, constituting around 5% of the world’s population, yet they disproportionately bear the brunt of climate change. They are in a constant fight to adapt to their changing environments and ways of living, whilst simultaneously protecting land rights and preserving their traditional knowledge. Climate change’s erasure or altering of indigenous homelands leads to starvation, poverty, health issues from new dietary inclusions and polluted food and water sources, mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, stress and grief, homelessness and displacement, and loss of their traditional livelihoods and subsistence methods. Moving away geographically from their traditional areas as well as mentally moving away from their cultural practices decreases the spread of their Indigenous knowledge, ebbing away at the continuation of their cultural identity.

Further information can be found on the UN website here

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