Overview

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Climate change is a global phenomenon, but its impacts vary among different social groups, who perceive and adapt to climate change impacts in different ways. In this course, you will:
a) understand the different debates around climate change impacts on Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC);
b) familiarize yourself with different impacts of climate change on IPLC, with the IPLC understanding of climate change impacts and with their strategies to adapt to climate change; and
c) learn about different strategies to incorporate Indigenous peoples and local communities in climate change research and policy.
The course includes a theoretical and a methodological component, through which you will learn methodologies to conduct research on Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ perceptions of climate change impacts.

Syllabus

Climate change and Indigenous Peoples and local communities

This course on Climate Changes Impacts and Indigenous People and Local communities (IPLC) is divided in five different sections:
1) the first week aims to present the key notions related to climate change, and to Indigenous peoples and local communities knowledge systems.
2) the second week will show the different climate changes impacts on IPLC, at the climatic, biological, physical and human systems level.
3) the third week presents examples of coping and adaptation strategies of IPLC to climate change impacts
4) in the fourth week, different methods for data collection on local perceptions of climate change will be presented
5) the fifth week aims to give an overview on the governance in global change and the role of IPLC.
Overall, this course includes a theoretical and a methodological component, through which you will learn methodologies to conduct research on Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ perceptions of climate change impacts.

Introduction

In Module 1, we will explain the basic concepts of the course and present the basic paradox of research on Indigenous peoples and climate change impacts: while Indigenous Peoples minimally contribute to anthropogenic climate change, they are directly and disproportionally impacted by it. The module will also highlight the reasons why tapping in Indigenous knowledge is basic for climate change research.

Climate change impacts on indigenous peoples and local communities

In Module 2, we will explain the importance of understanding how climate change impacts Indigenous Peoples and local communities. IPLC are disproportionally impacted by climate change because they depend directly on the use and management of natural resources. We will also present some common approaches to assess the vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to climate change impacts. Finally, this module will bring examples of how climate change impacts elements of the climatic, physical, biological and human systems, and how these impacts are perceived by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Coping and adapting to climate change impacts

In Module 3, we describe coping and adaptive strategies that IPLC from around the word have used to respond to the impacts of climate change. After an introductory video, the module is structured around examples of the following IPLCs' responses: i) sharing and cooperation, ii) diversification, iii) exchange, iv) storage, v) forecasting, vi) rationing, vii) mobility.

Local Indicators of climate change impacts

In Module 4 we discuss IPLC contributions to climate change research and introduce a standardized methodological protocol to assess such contributions.

The role of IPLC in global climate governance

In Module 5, we discuss several reasons that describe the importance of bringing IPLC as legitimate actors in global climate policy. We also present current attempts to do so through examples from the literature and existing policy initiatives.