A quick search of terms like stewardship, climate adaptation, and climate resiliency yields a wealth of information. Yet, so much remains disconnected from the more profound human responsibility of protecting and nurturing the spaces we call home. These spaces—our homelands or homescapes—are not just abstract environmental concepts; they define our identity, relationships, and responsibilities to the world around us. They are shaped and sustained through the ecological knowledge and stewardship practices of those who inhabit them. And yet, a critical question arises: How do we, as human beings, truly honour and protect the sacred—the life we live, the land that sustains us, and the interdependent ecosystems that define our very existence?
Too often, humanity perceives climate as a background force, something we attempt to control rather than something we must adapt to. The imbalance we now face—climate change, biodiversity loss, soil degradation—stems from a fundamental misunderstanding: nature does not depend on us; instead, we rely on nature. The climate is not ours to dictate; it follows its natural laws, sustaining life for millions of years before human intervention. So where does this disconnect between people, environment, and climate originate? The answer, in part, lies in the absence of grounded ecological knowledge in our education systems.
Bioregionalism: Grounding Learning in Space and Place
Bioregionalism is a vital concept in addressing this disconnect—a way of understanding the world through ecological and cultural relationships within a given region. Bioregionalism teaches us to see land, water, plants, and animals not as separate entities but as interwoven elements of a living system, where human and non-human lives are interconnected. This framework shifts the focus from political boundaries to natural ones, encouraging stewardship practices that align with the unique characteristics of each region.
Bioregionalism, at its core, is about living in accordance with a place’s natural rhythms. It is about recognizing that every region has its ecological wisdom stored within the landscapes and carried forward by the people who have lived in harmony with it for generations. By integrating bioregional thinking into education, we can teach students to read the land, understand the waters, and observe the interdependence of life forms within their local environments.
Education as a Pathway to Ecological Literacy
Imagine an education system where learning extends beyond textbooks and classrooms, where students are introduced to the knowledge systems embedded in the life of plants, animals, and ecosystems. What if science classes involved studying the wisdom of the forests—learning how trees communicate, how soil regenerates, and how plant and animal communities sustain each other? What if geography lessons were rooted in the concept of homescapes, teaching students to see the land not just as a resource but as a living entity with agency and autonomy?
This is not a radical idea; it is an ancient one. Indigenous knowledge systems have long recognized the agency of nature, acknowledging that every tree, plant, and animal is part of a vast and intricate network of reciprocal relationships. The idea of stewardship is not about controlling nature but respecting it and understanding that every action has consequences that ripple through the ecosystem.
Source: Getty Images (Licenced, Unsplash+)
A Call to Action: Integrating Stewardship in Everyday Learning
To address climate change and environmental degradation, we must move beyond temporary solutions—tree-planting initiatives, carbon offsets, and green technologies—toward a fundamental shift in how we relate to the Earth. That shift begins with education. Stewardship must be embedded in early childhood education and carried through to post-secondary learning.
We must cultivate an education system that teaches children to observe the land with curiosity and care. Instead of asking, “How can we use this forest?” we should ask, “How does this forest sustain itself, and what role do we play in its survival?” Rather than teaching sustainability as a separate discipline, we should weave it into every subject—science, mathematics, history, and the arts—ensuring that students understand the ecological and cultural context.
Reconciliation with the Land: A Future Rooted in Resilience
As humanity faces the irreversible effects of climate change—rising sea levels, extreme weather patterns, ecosystem collapse—the urgency of reconciling our relationship with the land has never been greater. While some environmental changes may no longer be reversible, our approach to the future can be transformed. The path forward is not simply about mitigating damage; it is about reconstituting and reconciling our environment to restore balance.
This means supporting regenerative agriculture, restoring degraded landscapes, and fostering a profound cultural shift toward bioregional stewardship. It means moving away from extractive economies and toward caretaking economies, where the land is not seen as a commodity but as a community to which we belong.
By embracing bioregionalism, we shift our mindset from exploitation to reciprocity, from short-term gains to long-term resilience. When we look down at the soil rather than up at the sky for solutions, we begin to understand that climate adaptation is not about technological fixes but about reconnecting with the original knowledge systems that have always existed—knowledge that reminds us that the Earth does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth.
A Future Where Life Thrives, Not Just Survives
The urgency of climate change calls for more than reactive measures; it calls for a profound, structural transformation in how we live, learn, and govern our relationship with the land. Bioregionalism guides this transformation, grounding climate adaptation efforts in place-based knowledge and ecological wisdom. It reminds us that the solutions to climate change are not found in isolated policy decisions or technological interventions but in how we educate the next generation to see, respect, and care for the world around them.
Let’s take up the challenge of integrating ecological literacy and bioregional thinking into our education systems. We can create a future where humans act as stewards, not dominators—where forests, rivers, and lands are seen not as resources to be consumed but as relatives to be cared for.
This is not just an environmental imperative but a moral one; it is the work of our time and the legacy we will leave behind. Will we choose to thrive alongside the land, or will we merely fight to survive? The choice is ours, and the time to act is now.
– By Rye Karonhiowanen Barberstock
(Header Image Credit: Arnaud Measureur, Unsplash)
The post Connecting Stewardship to Climate Adaptation and Resiliency: A Bioregional Approach appeared first on Indigenous Climate Hub.
Connecting Stewardship to Climate Adaptation and Resiliency: A Bioregional Approach
Climate Change
DeBriefed 15 August 2025: Raging wildfires; Xi’s priorities; Factchecking the Trump climate report
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change.
This week
Blazing heat hits Europe
FANNING THE FLAMES: Wildfires “fanned by a heatwave and strong winds” caused havoc across southern Europe, Reuters reported. It added: “Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the eurozone so far in 2025, double the average for the same period of the year since 2006.” Extreme heat is “breaking temperature records across Europe”, the Guardian said, with several countries reporting readings of around 40C.
HUMAN TOLL: At least three people have died in the wildfires erupting across Spain, Turkey and Albania, France24 said, adding that the fires have “displaced thousands in Greece and Albania”. Le Monde reported that a child in Italy “died of heatstroke”, while thousands were evacuated from Spain and firefighters “battled three large wildfires” in Portugal.
UK WILDFIRE RISK: The UK saw temperatures as high as 33.4C this week as England “entered its fourth heatwave”, BBC News said. The high heat is causing “nationally significant” water shortfalls, it added, “hitting farms, damaging wildlife and increasing wildfires”. The Daily Mirror noted that these conditions “could last until mid-autumn”. Scientists warn the UK faces possible “firewaves” due to climate change, BBC News also reported.
Around the world
- GRID PRESSURES: Iraq suffered a “near nationwide blackout” as elevated power demand – due to extreme temperatures of around 50C – triggered a transmission line failure, Bloomberg reported.
- ‘DIRE’ DOWN UNDER: The Australian government is keeping a climate risk assessment that contains “dire” implications for the continent “under wraps”, the Australian Financial Review said.
- EXTREME RAINFALL: Mexico City is “seeing one of its heaviest rainy seasons in years”, the Washington Post said. Downpours in the Japanese island of Kyushu “caused flooding and mudslides”, according to Politico. In Kashmir, flash floods killed 56 and left “scores missing”, the Associated Press said.
- SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION: China and Brazil agreed to “ensure the success” of COP30 in a recent phone call, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
- PLASTIC ‘DEADLOCK’: Talks on a plastic pollution treaty have failed again at a summit in Geneva, according to the Guardian, with countries “deadlocked” on whether it should include “curbs on production and toxic chemicals”.
15
The number of times by which the most ethnically-diverse areas in England are more likely to experience extreme heat than its “least diverse” areas, according to new analysis by Carbon Brief.
Latest climate research
- As many as 13 minerals critical for low-carbon energy may face shortages under 2C pathways | Nature Climate Change
- A “scoping review” examined the impact of climate change on poor sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa | PLOS One
- A UK university cut the carbon footprint of its weekly canteen menu by 31% “without students noticing” | Nature Food
(For more, see Carbon Brief’s in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)
Captured
Factchecking Trump’s climate report
A report commissioned by the US government to justify rolling back climate regulations contains “at least 100 false or misleading statements”, according to a Carbon Brief factcheck involving dozens of leading climate scientists. The report, compiled in two months by five hand-picked researchers, inaccurately claims that “CO2-induced warming might be less damaging economically than commonly believed” and misleadingly states that “excessively aggressive [emissions] mitigation policies could prove more detrimental than beneficial”80
Spotlight
Does Xi Jinping care about climate change?
This week, Carbon Brief unpacks new research on Chinese president Xi Jinping’s policy priorities.
On this day in 2005, Xi Jinping, a local official in eastern China, made an unplanned speech when touring a small village – a rare occurrence in China’s highly-choreographed political culture.
In it, he observed that “lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of silver and gold” – that is, the environment cannot be sacrificed for the sake of growth.
(The full text of the speech is not available, although Xi discussed the concept in a brief newspaper column – see below – a few days later.)
In a time where most government officials were laser-focused on delivering economic growth, this message was highly unusual.
Forward-thinking on environment
As a local official in the early 2000s, Xi endorsed the concept of “green GDP”, which integrates the value of natural resources and the environment into GDP calculations.
He also penned a regular newspaper column, 22 of which discussed environmental protection – although “climate change” was never mentioned.
This focus carried over to China’s national agenda when Xi became president.
New research from the Asia Society Policy Institute tracked policies in which Xi is reported by state media to have “personally” taken action.
It found that environmental protection is one of six topics in which he is often said to have directly steered policymaking.
Such policies include guidelines to build a “Beautiful China”, the creation of an environmental protection inspection team and the “three-north shelterbelt” afforestation programme.
“It’s important to know what Xi’s priorities are because the top leader wields outsized influence in the Chinese political system,” Neil Thomas, Asia Society Policy Institute fellow and report co-author, told Carbon Brief.
Local policymakers are “more likely” to invest resources in addressing policies they know have Xi’s attention, to increase their chances for promotion, he added.
What about climate and energy?
However, the research noted, climate and energy policies have not been publicised as bearing Xi’s personal touch.
“I think Xi prioritises environmental protection more than climate change because reducing pollution is an issue of social stability,” Thomas said, noting that “smoggy skies and polluted rivers” were more visible and more likely to trigger civil society pushback than gradual temperature increases.
The paper also said topics might not be linked to Xi personally when they are “too technical” or “politically sensitive”.
For example, Xi’s landmark decision for China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 is widely reported as having only been made after climate modelling – facilitated by former climate envoy Xie Zhenhua – showed that this goal was achievable.
Prior to this, Xi had never spoken publicly about carbon neutrality.
Prof Alex Wang, a University of California, Los Angeles professor of law not involved in the research, noted that emphasising Xi’s personal attention may signal “top” political priorities, but not necessarily Xi’s “personal interests”.
By not emphasising climate, he said, Xi may be trying to avoid “pushing the system to overprioritise climate to the exclusion of the other priorities”.
There are other ways to know where climate ranks on the policy agenda, Thomas noted:
“Climate watchers should look at what Xi says, what Xi does and what policies Xi authorises in the name of the ‘central committee’. Is Xi talking more about climate? Is Xi establishing institutions and convening meetings that focus on climate? Is climate becoming a more prominent theme in top-level documents?”
Watch, read, listen
TRUMP EFFECT: The Columbia Energy Exchange podcast examined how pressure from US tariffs could affect India’s clean energy transition.
NAMIBIAN ‘DESTRUCTION’: The National Observer investigated the failure to address “human rights abuses and environmental destruction” claims against a Canadian oil company in Namibia.
‘RED AI’: The Network for the Digital Economy and the Environment studied the state of current research on “Red AI”, or the “negative environmental implications of AI”.
Coming up
- 17 August: Bolivian general elections
- 18-29 August: Preparatory talks on the entry into force of the “High Seas Treaty”, New York
- 18-22 August: Y20 Summit, Johannesburg
- 21 August: Advancing the “Africa clean air programme” through Africa-Asia collaboration, Yokohama
Pick of the jobs
- Lancaster Environment Centre, senior research associate: JUST Centre | Salary: £39,355-£45,413. Location: Lancaster, UK
- Environmental Justice Foundation, communications and media officer, Francophone Africa | Salary: XOF600,000-XOF800,000. Location: Dakar, Senegal
- Politico, energy & climate editor | Salary: Unknown. Location: Brussels, Belgium
- EnviroCatalysts, meteorologist | Salary: Unknown. Location: New Delhi, India
DeBriefed is edited by Daisy Dunne. Please send any tips or feedback to debriefed@carbonbrief.org.
This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s weekly DeBriefed email newsletter. Subscribe for free here.
The post DeBriefed 15 August 2025: Raging wildfires; Xi’s priorities; Factchecking the Trump climate report appeared first on Carbon Brief.
DeBriefed 15 August 2025: Raging wildfires; Xi’s priorities; Factchecking the Trump climate report
Climate Change
New York Already Denied Permits to These Gas Pipelines. Under Trump, They Could Get Greenlit
The specter of a “gas-for-wind” compromise between the governor and the White House is drawing the ire of residents as a deadline looms.
Hundreds of New Yorkers rallied against new natural gas pipelines in their state as a deadline loomed for the public to comment on a revived proposal to expand the gas pipeline that supplies downstate New York.
New York Already Denied Permits to These Gas Pipelines. Under Trump, They Could Get Greenlit
A “critical assessment” report commissioned by the Trump administration to justify a rollback of US climate regulations contains at least 100 false or misleading statements, according to a Carbon Brief factcheck involving dozens of leading climate scientists.
The report – “A critical review of impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the US climate” – was published by the US Department of Energy (DoE) on 23 July, just days before the government laid out plans to revoke a scientific finding used as the legal basis for emissions regulation.
The executive summary of the controversial report inaccurately claims that “CO2-induced warming might be less damaging economically than commonly believed”.
It also states misleadingly that “excessively aggressive [emissions] mitigation policies could prove more detrimental than beneficial”.
Compiled in just two months by five “independent” researchers hand-selected by the climate-sceptic US secretary of energy Chris Wright, the document has sparked fierce criticism from climate scientists, who have pointed to factual errors, misrepresentation of research, messy citations and the cherry-picking of data.
Experts have also noted the authors’ track record of promoting views at odds with the mainstream understanding of climate science.
Wright’s department claims the report – which is currently open to public comment as part of a 30-day review – underwent an “internal peer-review period amongst [the] DoE’s scientific research community”.
The report is designed to provide a scientific underpinning to one flank of the Trump administration’s plans to rescind a finding that serves as the legal prerequisite for federal emissions regulation. (The second flank is about legal authority to regulate emissions.)
The “endangerment finding” – enacted by the Obama administration in 2009 – states that six greenhouse gases are contributing to the net-negative impacts of climate change and, thus, put the public in danger.
In a press release on 29 July, the US Environmental Protection Agency said “updated studies and information” set out in the new report would “challenge the assumptions” of the 2009 finding.
Carbon Brief asked a wide range of climate scientists, including those cited in the “critical review” itself, to factcheck the report’s various claims and statements.
The post Factcheck: Trump’s climate report includes more than 100 false or misleading claims appeared first on Carbon Brief.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-trumps-climate-report-includes-more-than-100-false-or-misleading-claims/
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