2023 OCTOBER ISSUE
INDIGENOUS PRACTICES
FOR
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
WHY THE ANSWER
TO CLIMATE CHANGE
LIES IN THE PAST
RATHER THAN THE FUTURE
By CAROLINE KOPAS
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From the Desk of the Publisher
As the title suggested, Caroline’s piece pointed us towards the indigenous people of the American’s Quileute Tribe, the Australian aboriginal population, the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) from Myanmar, and the South American Amazonian tribes, whose practice lies in the vast expanses and knowledge of the past.
We have seen during this summer an unprecedented heatwave, we have seen wildfires in many places around the world, and flooding that have become an obsession.
Modern technological advancements may not keep humans thriving beyond environment disaster and/or reverse for what was already done.
We have to admit that through thousands of years, indigenous populations have cultivated environments and resources that have harmoniously benefited the land and its inhabitants. We saw the arriving of the colonialists who turned the world of the indigenous people upside down. They ended up suffering the most.
Now we hope that the world would start to listen to them so that we can prolong our longevity.
In the midst of this summer’s blistering and unprecedented heatwave, climate change has morphed into an observable reality for millions. As we rocket towards the point of no return of a global increase of two degrees centigrade, minds are racing to come up with creative and combative solutions.
The most straightforward solution to the climate crisis requires the cooperation and honesty of international governments and multinational corporations. Unfortunately, the nature of the world system does not lend itself very easily to such events, even if it can save millions of current lives and countless future generations. Within this intricate web of interests, those committed to tackling climate change must operate strategically, ensuring informed and impactful actions.
Amidst this debate about the future, some hopefuls hold the belief that if governments and industries falter, humanity will find a way to preserve and persist. Many place their bets on technological advancements to save us all. After all, Thomas Malthus’s theory of catastrophe has not proven true yet because it did not account for the rapid technological innovations of the 20th century. However, instead of investing millions and billions into technological advancements that may or may not keep humans thriving beyond environmental disaster and/or reverse what has already been done, I believe the true key to sustainability does not lie within the minds of the future, but rather within the minds of the past.
Over thousands of years, indigenous populations have cultivated environments and resources in ways that harmoniously benefited both the land and its inhabitants. Colonialists often replaced these place-specific and tried-and-true practices with less efficient and more exploitative ones. But even as science progressed and the centuries turned, colonialists have generally been unable to match the knowledge of the indigenous peoples when it comes to environmental conservation, health, stewardship, and mutually beneficial relationships.
Indigenous peoples have been disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change—such as America’s Quileute Tribe (of Twilight fame) and the loss of their lands due to rising sea levels—due to their close relationship with the land, reliance on natural resources, and general marginalization within larger societies. Remarkably, long before the term “climate change” entered mainstream discussions, indigenous voices were already engaged in advocating for environmental sustainability and they are still struggling for their voices to be heard today. This has made indigenous populations around the world uniquely equipped with the tools, knowledge, and steadfast advocacy needed in order to make an impact. Their voices should be heard and their opinions heeded.
Indigenous people around the world have been employing controlled burns in wildfire-prone areas for millennia. Burning the underbrush, promoting ecosystemic health, and protecting the area from future burns, control burns can be likened to the flu vaccine: a microdose of the ailment that will help build up resistance to it in the future. In many American states, control burns were prohibited, but now California is looking to its indigenous population for help managing their recurrent and deadly wildfires. Launched in 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom’s “Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire” has a goal of using beneficial fire, or controlled burn, on 400,000 acres annually by 2025. Indigenous Americans were consulted since the beginning of the process to provide their expertise on both the land and the cultural practice, and have been integrated into the plan by being trained in monitoring and assessing the burns, and have been granted the ability to conduct controlled burns themselves in certain circumstances. This not only increases climate resilience, but gives indigenous Californian populations more autonomy in their ancestral lands, and efficiently utilizes already tested-and-true knowledge and practices in order to better combat the rapidly changing environment.
In Australia, aboriginal populations have been given control of some of the country’s newest national parks. More than 3,700 square miles of land were repatriated to indigenous populations and three new marine parks were created. Aborigines have lived off the harsh Australian environment for tens of thousands of years as what is now considered the world’s oldest civilization. Aboriginal practices encourage biodiversity and sustainable and replenishing resource management. They are leaders of environmental conservation and their newfound environmental autonomy is an excellent step toward reconciling the harsh effects of environmental and social colonialism on the island.
In the American Southwest, the Tohono O’odham Nation has created a charity to promote, spread, and educate about indigenous agricultural practices. Named Ajo CSA, the organization not only advocates for sustainable and eco-friendly agriculture but also helps its neighboring communities by addressing food deserts, promoting healthy eating, and making local foods more accessible. Ajo CSA fights against food injustice, preserves cultural traditions, and increases community involvement and resilience alike. Using indigenous agricultural practices can protect farmland health as well as diminish agriculture’s massive carbon footprint. For thousands of years native populations in the American Southwest have tested various agricultural practices in response to heat, drought, and land health, and instead of researching new ways to do so in the present day to feed the region, the answer has already been tried and true–it just needs to be more widely implemented. If done correctly and for long enough, sustainable agriculture will be more cost-effective and beneficial. For the short term, community sustainability has to be prioritized over profit in order for the future to be prosperous.
Meanwhile, the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, works to empower and mobilize the Karen people to protect their environment, uphold their cultural heritage, and advocate for their rights in the face of environmental degradation and exploitation in their homeland. They work for sustainable resource management, conservation, biodiversity, and more in order to sustain their land-based traditions and prevent climate-related catastrophes that affect both the vitality of the land and the people.
South American Amazonian tribes are at the forefront of protecting the biggest carbon sequestration operation in the world. The Amazon Rainforest, which is being frighteningly deforested, removes well over a million metric tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year. Many tribes within the Amazon practice agroforestry, a system that combines agriculture with tree planting and selective harvesting, a practice that allows regeneration, prevents overconsumption and guards their respective territories against large-scale capitalistic resource extraction and other destruction.
Another reason to look towards indigenous communities in the sustainability discussion is due to the massive scale of the climate crisis. Communities that span the entire globe are being affected, and the climate resilience needs of Australians are different from the needs of the Burmese. Large-scale efforts can help the entire globe, such as countries working on lowering carbon emissions and air pollutants such as 1989’s Montreal Protocol, which has effectively phased out nearly 99 percent of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting substances from the atmosphere. However, local efforts can more accurately address the environment of the area and the needs of the people. Indigenous voices can provide this local voice and simultaneously build a sense of community advocacy.
The fate of the entire world cannot rest on the shoulders of technology that may or may not be created, or that may harm the environment in its own way. The answer to the future’s longevity lies in the vast expanse and knowledge of the past.