Communities and Climate Change: Why Practices and Practitioners Matter

Abstract

Communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as reduced access to material resources and increased exposure to adverse weather conditions, are intimately tied to a considerable amount of cultural and biological diversity on our planet. Much of that diversity is bound up in the social practices of Indigenous groups, which is why these practices have great long-term value. Yet, little attention has been given to them by philosophers. Also neglected have been the historical conditions and contemporary realities that constrain these practices and devalue the knowledge of their practitioners. In this essay, we make the case for preserving a diverse range of social practices worldwide, and we argue that this is possible only by strengthening the communities of practitioners who enact them in the contexts in which they are adaptive. By concentrating on Indigenous communities, we show how focusing on practices can transform how Indigenous and other local communities are represented in global climate-change conversations and policy as a matter of justice. More specifically, we argue that practice-centered thinking and local practices provide critical insights for determining the extent to which climate policies protect and enable transformative change.

Indigenous Philosophy and Intergenerational Justice

“…As detailed elsewhere, one way to think about kaitiakitanga is in terms of whakapapa: situated at the intersection of human-nature relationships, constituted by a diverse set of socioenvironmental practices, and relying on deep local knowledge, relevant practical experience, and structures enabling the transfer of both. 10 In such a way, kaitiakitanga can be understood as a collection of responsibilities, enacted by Māori communities to reinforce and enable flourishing socioenvironmental relationships. 11 The Māori concept of rāhui, for instance, places temporary constraints on human activities to ensure immediate responses to threats of serious harms.…”

“…As argued more fully elsewhere, Indigenous and other local communities have tended to be treated as passive recipients of social and environmental policy and reform, rather than as active agents capable of responding locally and contributing to agenda-and policy-setting globally. 27 Transforming how policies and processes are designed and implemented so that they prioritize the contributions of activists and on-the-ground practitioners for reform is an important starting point for realizing just development pathways.…”

“…Flexibility is likely to involve looking to the past for guidance -to find value in understanding how opportunities and challenges were navigated previously, to reframe and grow existing solutions in different ways, and to retrace our steps in search of opportunities for change. By doing this, the global community will be better positioned to support and enable not merely the adaptive social practices so vital to Indigenous and other local communities, 37 but also better positioned to realize the transformative philosophies that underpin them and on which our collective socioenvironmental flourishing depends.…”

Contribution of Indigenous Peoples' understandings and relational frameworks to invasive alien species management

“…New Zealand's Predator Free 2050 strategy is one that has previously been criticised for not examining ‘social licence’ or acceptance by communities until after the goal of predator eradication was embedded in policy (Linklater & Steer, 2018), although partnerships with communities are now a strong feature of this work (but see Boswell, 2018 for a critical view of the settler sensibilities in Predator Free NZ). The urgency of meeting conservation needs now must be met with a commitment to protecting these gains in the long term (Grix & Watene, 2022). Decision‐making that incorporates both social and environmental justice and is thus supported by communities is likely to result in the stability required for the needed biodiversity gains (Ban et al, 2018; Tran et al, 2020).…”

Central Sulawesi Forest Park: A Pattern of Tenure Conflict Resolution

“…Forest resources play a crucial role in the sustenance of human life [1][2][3]. These resources have various components that can be employed for the economy, environment, and ecotourism [4][5][6][7].…”