Indigenous Knowledge Vital in the Fight Against Climate Change
The recognition of indigenous communities in the fight against climate change was the highlight for Fijian activist Ernest Gibson at the pre-COP26 event in Milan, Italy, over the past week.
Mr Gibson is a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
The Group is tasked to amplify youth voices and to engage young people in an open and transparent dialogue as the UN gears up to raise ambition and accelerate action to tackle the climate emergency.
He was also the co-chair of the three-days Youth4climate sessions.
In an interview with CNN International desk, Mr Gibson said indigenous communities have been the most successful in navigating a relationship with the environment.
He proposed that we find a way to ensure that we were taking a step back and having a look at indigenous practices, indigenous knowledge and indigenous science as a means of moving forward.
Mr Gibson said for far too long indigenous communities have been ignored along with the value and the role that they play in taking us forward.
“Now is the time to embrace indigenous knowledge and indigenous science together.”
Mr Gibson is also the co-coordinator for 350 Fiji, a regional youth-led climate change network.
He is hopeful that the outcome document from the Youth4climate sessions would take into account a just recovery.
“Because it’s one thing to talk about sustainable recovery, and look at creating a greener future, in terms of moving away from fossil fuel, but it’s an entirely different thing to ensure that we are bringing people along in that journey,’ he said.
“That looks at ensuring That there are jobs for people stuck in the fossil fuel industry.
“Ensuring that these is a level of accountability and responsibility placed on polluters… that the onus is on them to support this transition financially and in terms of resources, but most importantly a successful document would look like a document that we really haven’t seen much of yet from world leaders that peoples are at the centre.”
BEING HOPEFUL
During the session, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg mocked some world leaders for their inaction on climate.
Mr Gibson was thoughtful in his reply and emphasised that there were some world leaders who continually misbehaved and have deliberately found ways of finding loopholes to ensure that they could continue to practice, in an unethical way.
“On the other side of this conversation, there are people who have worked within the movement across United Nations agencies, across the development sector for 30 years and have actually made significant strides – so I think it’s important to distinguish between those two groups.”
Mr Gibson remained hopeful. “There is a glimmer of hope, and we are seeing leaders that are beginning to change. And the fact of the matter is, they need to, we don’t have a choice.
“It’s not a matter of whether or not it’s going to happen, but how it’s going to happen. It’s not just the ethical or ecological decision to make, its actually the smartest decision to make because it’s an opportunity for us to re-carve this path, and when you’re thinking of building back better or creating this new normal, we are finding a way where we are designing the future that is most logical,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Gibson also asked the question, WTF?
No, not what you’re thinking… but Where’s The Finance?
Who is it going to? Who influences the financial flows? How is it helping the most vulnerable communities
The 400 plus youths from around the world were encouraged by the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to keep raising their voices.
“Young people have been in the forefront of putting forward positive solutions, advocating for climate justice & holding leaders to account,” he said.