Indigenous Ecological Knowledges and Pacific Islands Climate Education: Complexities, Risks, and Profound Benefits

• In Event: Roundtable Session 84
  In Roundtable Session: Moi: Indigenous Knowledges—Maths and Sciences

Abstract

Local long-term residents in the Pacific region are witnessing a climate that is no longer predictable and they hold significant knowledge about the impact of these changes on their environment and communities. Education is viewed as an essential contributor to the cultural, physical, and socio-political survival of people, yet such indigenous knowledges (IK) are not valued at school. We view IK as an essential condition of knowing climate and use critical and indigenous methodologies to address complexities and risks in developing and field-testing IK gathering protocols. Ultimately, we seek IK that, along with scientific inquiry, offer profound benefits for classrooms and communities to learn about climate, its impacts, and potential adaptation measures in the Pacific.

Authors

• Marylin G. Low, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning

• Corrin Barros, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning