Reading the news about climate change and the future of our planet can sometimes be daunting. With reports of decreasing biodiversity, increasing carbon emissions, and scientific predictions of an alarming future surrounding our planet. On a daily basis, we are overwhelmed with news about humanity’s environmental challenges. How do we respond to these negative messages as individuals and conscious participants in this global crisis?  

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Climate change research has extended from decentralized science-based calculations to provide a more inclusive perspective that strives to uncover how various communities comprehend climate change. Emerging scholarly articles, books, and policymakers are engaged in learning more about diverse cultures, religious outlooks, and historical influences that impact how we comprehend climatic events. We are now exposed to numerous interpretive storytelling practices. Climate change researchers and policymakers do not rely anymore on scientific findings alone – climate discourse extends now to studies on how the global phenomenon of environmental change impacts everyone differently, and how these experiences are comprehended. As such, inclusion of culture and society within the climate discourse, has become crucial to understanding how communities around the world respond to climatic events..

Research examining cultural systems and their influence on climate change interpretation has identified many meanings associated with environmental issues. For example, a study from 2021 on Islamic perspectives of climate change identified competing responses on the topic of the primary origin of the climate change phenomenon. Muslims of different nationalities and cultural influences referred to the leading causes of climate change deriving from human or divine actions. The lack of uniform interpretation suggests the complex sociocultural influences that impact how we understand the changing climate.  

In line with such cultural diversity, policymakers and researchers aim to learn the most about climate-affected communities to draft effective policies that would see an adaptation of measures to combat increasing impacts such as sea level rise, drought, and other extreme weather events. However, a study from 2013 found that the consideration of cultural worldviews is not necessarily the strongest predictor of environmental policies and actions.

A survey amongst US citizens revealed that discrete emotions were stronger predictors of global warming policy support than culture, religion or sociodemographic characteristics. The study showed that half of respondents felt worried about climate change, whereas 46% were hopeful about it. Other discrete emotions such as anger, helplessness and sadness also accompanied climate change discussions. 

In terms of the influence of discrete emotions on policy support, the study revealed that worry was the strongest predictor of participation in climate change policies – the more respondents worried about climate change, the more likely they were to support national policies. Another discrete emotion – fear – was also associated with discussions on climate policies. Interestingly, fear had the opposite effect. Instead of motivating the public to engage in policies, the discrete emotion of fear-induced anxieties distanced the public from further participation. This finding suggests that fear-based messaging about drastic climatic events and global crises can be counter-productive in mobilizing individuals to take climate-friendly actions. However, what happens if we incorporate more positive discrete emotions in climate campaigns? 

Indeed, the potential of positive messaging in climate change policies is promising. For example, a study that examined the role of storytelling in climate change communication found that stories with a solution focus were more effective in motivating pro-environmental intentions than those with a catastrophic ending. Readers were inspired and motivated after reading solution-focused stories and were more likely to make climate-friendly choices in the future. This suggests that a shift towards more positive and solution-focused communication about climate change could be beneficial. It prompts us to consider transforming the way we talk about climate change and environmental issues, focusing more on the solutions and less on the problems. 

Unfortunately, a uniform solution to mobilize communities worldwide is more challenging. A review of recent articles and studies on the role of emotional engagement in messaging about climate change revealed that there is no “one size fits all” approach to encourage collective action. People’s geographic location, political considerations and personal circumstances impact how we respond emotionally and process complex dilemmas such as climate change. Whereas we cannot presume that each of us will engage in climate policies to the same extent, including positive and solution-focused environmental approaches can indeed result in more productive responses from many people. 

Climate change is a complex phenomenon that impacts all of us, and yet, we tend to perceive and experience it through the lens of our geographic location, sociocultural influences and sometimes political affiliations. We are all different and unique individuals, yet to combat climate change, we must come together, get actively involved in environmental policies, and change how we live on the planet. Emotional engagement in messaging, such as news, has proved to motivate people and improve the long-term implementation of climate-friendly measures. One thing is definite – imaginations of crisis and catastrophe are ineffective and can discourage people from taking climate action. For the sake of our planet, we should start motivating each other and perceive our climate futures through the prism of solution and hope. 

More on the topic: Bridging the Gap: Addressing Barriers in Climate Change Communication to Save the Planet

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Indigenous communities around the world perceive environmental change through more unique lenses than most of us. The peoples of the Arctic, such as the Yup’ik, hold a comprehensive knowledge of their surroundings that can teach us a lot about the current climatic changes and the ways in which the natural world responds to them. 

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Traditional Ecological Knowledge 

Scientific findings educate us every day about the anthropogenic consequences of global warming. We see an increasing number of papers examining how the changes in the atmosphere affect the microclimates worldwide and how their habitats respond to rising temperatures and sea levels. However, these observations are often detached from day-to-day reflections as they consider science-based calculations. 

Notably, our Western perception of dominance over the natural surroundings and the historical exploitation of resources limits our scope of perceiving and understanding the dynamics within the environmental sphere. For this reason, greater attention has been devoted to individual perceptions of environmental change, such as traditional ecological knowledge. This system represents generational knowledge of direct human contact with the natural world. It is developed within one community and passed down through generations as a unique way of interacting with one’s environment. In this system, a reciprocal relationship with the natural world is evident, in which harmony and respect are foundational for human-nature interactions. Contemporarily, we see a decline in traditional ecological knowledge as economic development and globalisation contribute to the gradual loss of Indigenous communities.    

Nevertheless, an increasing number of scholars and organisations have come to value such unique perceptions of the environment as they provide a crucial source of information about the consequences of climate change. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that traditional ecological knowledge can be used as an entry point for climate adaptation measures. This is because such systems provide a traditional way of adapting to the changing environmental conditions of the past. Besides climate adaptation, traditional ecological knowledge can also inform us about the impacts of climate change on the surrounding environments.    

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Yup’ik Peoples of the Arctic 

The Indigenous communities of the Arctic, such as the Yup’ik (also spelled Yupik), are a widely dispersed group of peoples throughout Siberia, Alaska, St. Lawrence Island and Diomede Island. 

These traditional communities emphasise respect for elderly people and their natural environments. In their worldview, animals and plants are seen as relatives rather than resources that should be exploited. Furthermore, the Yup’ik traditional ways of knowing encompass a particular attachment to the place where people have lived through generations. The traditional practices of dance, stories and rituals are closely connected to their place and the associated animals and plants. As such, Indigenous Yup’ik communities have a unique relationship with their natural world. 

This system of  knowledge has been passed down through generations and yields their comprehensive perception of the natural world in which plants and animals are seen as relatives or spirits. For this reason, these communities formed a ‘relationship’ with their natural surroundings, and ultimately developed a unique perception of natural events of which minimal deviations/changes are observable to community members. However, global warming and changing weather conditions impact the customary processes of their natural world. For this reason, climate change is a “much deeper and more personal” phenomenon for Indigenous communities such as Yup’ik . Within their unique perceptions of ecosystems, climate change impacts more than sea levels or temperatures – it influences the natural systems of plants and animals that now act differently as opposed to what has been passed down through generations.  

Three Examples of the Yup’ik Perception of Climate Change

1. New birds and plants are appearing

As we know, climate change transforms our seasonal weather patterns. Some regions that never experienced harsh winters now see increased snowfall. Others must now cope with heatwaves that have never occurred in these places. This is also the case for the Arctic communities that see an increase in rainfall instead of regular snowing during the wintertime. 

Apart from such seasonal and temperature changes, the Yup’ik also observed the differences in the appearance of bird species. As expressed by some of the Yup’ik peoples, Western Alaska now sees new birds that are blue and orange coloured, such as spruce grouse. They also notice rose hips that naturally need mild temperatures, usually in warmer climates. Some Yup’ik hunters mention the emergence of predators such as wolves and coyotes that “they never had before.” Such observations of changes by Yup’ik peoples connect their knowledge of local species and times of their appearance with global warming that steadily alters local ecosystems.   

2. Whales’ migration patterns are changing

For the Yup’ik communities, the knowledge of whales’ behaviour is deeply embedded in their traditions and customs. Whales are crucial in their cosmologies, and their proper use and disposal have been passed down through generations. As such, Yup’ik developed a unique perception of whales’ migration patterns. 

In their knowledge system, the bowhead whales have been noticeable around St. Lawrence Island in April and May in recent decades. However, this trend is recently changing, and the whales come to the area as early as March. The elders observe that this can be associated with the earlier “little kulusik,” which refers to the melting of the multilayer ice in the surrounding waters. 

Global warming causes the ice caps in the Alaskan waters to melt earlier than before, impacting bowhead whales’ migration pattern. Therefore, the knowledge of the Yup’ik people enables us to see how animals such as whales adapt to climate change by altering their standard moving patterns across the North Pacific Ocean.   

3. Lower water levels impact traditional hunting

The Yup’ik people of Southwest Alaska have noticed that the level of local lakes and rivers has decreased considerably in the past few years. For them, specific sites have been used for decades for traditional hunting. As such, generations of Yup’ik peoples have associated the sites near local rivers and lakes with the traditional hunting spots. 

However, lower water levels have recently made it impossible for hunters to access many traditional tributaries. Yup’ik hunters connect the low water levels with the decreased precipitation rates in the region. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Climate Hubs, precipitation rates “have very slightly decreased” in Southern Alaska due to climate change. However, even such a marginal change in the weather conditions has been noticed by traditional hunters of the Yup’ik as they possess a unique perception of their environmental surroundings. As such, a modest variation in the light of Western statistical approaches turns out to have a significant ecological impact on the sites observed by the generations of Yup’ik hunters.   

Conclusion 

Anthropogenic climate change is a complex phenomenon that impacts our planet in various ways. Despite the rise in scientific research about global warming, we still need to learn more about how this human-induced event affects the microclimates and species around them worldwide. 

We can know more about the impact of climate change on fauna and flora by focusing on Indigenous communities such as Yup’ik. Their unique perception of the environment and generational knowledge can help us understand how microclimates around the world adjust to rising temperatures and how the natural world reacts to such changes. 

Our planet holds many environments that, in turn, yield each region to respond to climate change differently. As such, it is crucial to listen to Indigenous communities and value their environmental knowledge in the search for the consequences that anthropogenic climate change brings to our world. 

Featured image: Flickr

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Small Islands states are at the frontline of climate change with rising sea levels, accelerating storm surges, and biodiversity loss. The consequences of global warming make the Pacific habitats increasingly inhabitable. As a result, climate adaptation and relocation planning have become key issues on the agenda of international organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations. However, climate change goes beyond the physical sphere. It threatens not only Pacific habitats but also the meanings attached to them.

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Pacific nations such as Fiji, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, and Kiribati are some of the world’s most vulnerable areas to climate change. Their geographic location and low-lying atolls pose little to their resistant capacity to tropical cyclones and rising sea levels. Despite global efforts to keep the global temperature below 1.5C, these islands are still bearing the brunt of a warming planet, with increased coastal inundations threatening their resilience. Much of the research has been done on the socioeconomic consequences of climate change. However, an increasing number of reports are now looking beyond statistics. For example, the latest IPPC report recognises the value of indigenous perception and knowledge of climate change and conservation. 

The Local Value of Land

The Pacific region has long traditions of sea voyages, community values, and ecological connections. Despite the vast scattering over the Pacific Ocean, these island communities are characterised by the common value-based traditions underpinning the importance of their ocean homelands.  However, for Pacific Islanders, the land is more than a place to live. It is a foundation of cultural and spiritual well-being. This is where the ancestor spirits rest and hold the stories of Polynesian origins, traditional rites, and values that connect their community into one being. Such a unique interconnection with land and the environment constructs the Pacific sense of identity and collective belonging. 

Loss and Climate Change in the Pacific Islands

The profound consequences of climate change, such as sinking shores and storm surges, continuously threaten habitable and arable land, freshwater resources, and infrastructure. With worsening forecasts, relocation planning has become a core adaptation measure for coastal communities. 

For some Tuvaluans, the fears of prospective cultural loss prompted “worry, anxiety, and disrupted sleep.” These emotions mirror what the uncertain future of climate change may bring.  

Disruption to collective identity through the loss of land has already been documented in Fiji. The inland relocation of coastal communities disorganised the social structures of some villages’ values and traditions. However, an example of Vunidogoloa shows that migration “strengthened” the sense of community and brought them together in a time of stress and the unknown. Despite the loss of their village land, the people of Vunidogoloa reinforced their local values and collective identity through the power of community. 

As an old proverb says: “The Polynesian is not a place, it’s a people”.

This message encompasses hope for the continuity of Pacific cultures and traditions. For it is not the first time that the Pacific resilience and endurance have been put to the test. Looking beyond climate science, the meaning of place attached to environmental change brings new perspectives that shall be valued for the futures of those that were given no choice in the climate battle.

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