Indigenous knowledge can play important role in climate change, IPCC report says
Indigenous knowledge has an important role to play in preparing for a warmer future, according to a new climate change report . The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its sixth assessment report on Tuesday, drawing on almost a decade of climate change science. The report states climate resilient development, rooted in diverse values including indigenous knowledge, is needed to prepare for future challenges. University of Waikato Faculty of Maori and Indigenous Studies professor Sandra Morrison said Maori have long-established principles and value systems which prioritise outcomes of balance and harmony. READ MORE: * 'It's our collective responsibility' Pacific researchers urge world leaders to help the islands fight climate change * 'We must act now' Maori researchers call for action on major climate report * 'Helicopter science' behind Australian study blaming Maori for Antarctica's black carbon, say NZ researchers "As place-based people, our deep relationships within our environment inform our spiritual and physical health and were underpinned by the seasonal rhythms of Papatuanuku, Ranginui and all the atua in which we were actively and intimately intertwined, she said. "We continue to reinforce these messages to all peoples to nurture relationships of deep respect for te taiao, our natural environment; to think long term and intergenerationally; to make what many Maori call mokopuna decisions, those decisions which will impact on our future generations." University of Canterburys Dr Christina Laalaai-Tausa is a political scientist and research manager for the Pacific Ocean Climate Crisis Assessment (POCCA). She said Pacific people understand and rely on the importance of civil society and the human agency for social protection and resilience, but that would only go so far. Despite local community efforts at adaptation and mitigation, the speed and magnitude of climate crisis means that our actions today will not be feasible tomorrow as temperatures and sea levels continue to rise, she said. Pacific communities rely on indigenous knowledge that have provided alternative ways for survival, but these now need to be integrated with science and technology to ensure lives and ecosystems survive. Laalaai-Tausa said it was unacceptable that climate financing is still below the $100 billion a year as recommended by the Paris Agreement. There are current adaptation and mitigation practices that would benefit immensely from investing in the indigenous knowledge and science nexus as there are evident synergies that can be explored for the region, for example sustainable development and renewable energy for electricity, she said. "There is also the need for the region to relook at the commercial fishing taking place to ensure there is enough marine resources to sustain livelihoods in the next few years."