Placing diverse knowledge systems at the core of transformative climate research

Abstract

We argue that solutions-based research must avoid treating climate change as a merely technical problem, recognizing instead that it is symptomatic of the history of European and North American colonialism. It must therefore be addressed by decolonizing the research process and transforming relations between scientific expertise and the knowledge systems of Indigenous Peoples and of local communities. Partnership across diverse knowledge systems can be a path to transformative change only if those systems are respected in their entirety, as indivisible cultural wholes of knowledge, practices, values, and worldviews. This argument grounds our specific recommendations for governance at the local, national, and international scales. As concrete mechanisms to guide collaboration across knowledge systems, we propose a set of instruments based on the principles of consent, intellectual and cultural autonomy, and justice. We recommend these instruments as tools to ensure that collaborations across knowledge systems embody just partnerships in support of a decolonial transformation of relations between human communities and between humanity and the more-than-human world.

Towards a climate‐smart cultural heritage management

“…Adaptive capacity can be built by improving access to financial resources, knowledge, and technical skills, raising the awareness of climate change risks, vulnerability, and impacts, integrating indigenous, local, and scientific knowledge, and ensuring intergenerational knowledge transfer. To increase adaptive capacity, it is also important to build collective leadership, community empowerment and engagement, co-develop reconciliation approaches with marginalized communities, foster communication across multiple audiences, share best practices, and establish feasible and more transformative legal and policy instruments (Carmichael et al, 2020;Fatori c & Biesbroek, 2020;Morel et al, 2022;Orlove et al, 2022). Although CSCH seeks to achieve climate adaptation, mitigation, and human security, we agree with Lipper et al (2014) that this does not imply that every action taken in every location must result in "triple wins."…”

“…Globally, climate change is already adversely affecting tangible and intangible cultural heritage and these impacts are projected to increase over time (Daly et al, 2022;Fatori c & Seekamp, 2017;Nicu & Fatori c, 2023;Orlove et al, 2022;Pearson et al, 2021;Simpson et al, 2022). Therefore, it could be argued that climate change should now be a primary lens through which conservation and management of cultural heritage is viewed.…”

“…The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) created a database of best practices on climate adaptation activities undertaken by private sector (https://unfccc.int/topics/resilience/resources/psi-database) to build resilience of private sector actors and support capacity building in vulnerable communities, but none of those initiatives address concrete cultural heritage assets (UNFCCC, 2022). Furthermore, given the urgency to meet the goals of UNFCCC Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5 C compared to preindustrial levels, it is crucial to recognize the contribution of diverse cultural heritage to climate change mitigation efforts (Fatori c & Egberts, 2020;ICOMOS, 2019;Orlove et al, 2022;Shepherd et al, 2022).…”

“…We argue that addressing the growing anthropogenic climate change risks and impacts requires a fundamental rethink and transformation of cultural heritage management and policy. Therefore, a transition toward fundamentally new or different systems of governance, institutions, policies, priorities, values, behaviors including plural knowledge is required (IPCC, 2022;Orlove et al, 2022;Tàbara et al, 2019). Transformative actions according to Tàbara et al (2019), should move beyond the conventional and limited question of what the problem is (i.e., impacts, risks, vulnerabilities) to who/what the solution is.…”

Knowledge that affects: An assemblage approach

“…Many of these approaches are organized around principles (e.g. Norström et al 2020, Orlove et al 2023 as well as corresponding policy instruments to put these into practice (e.g. Orlove et al 2023).…”