In the face of accelerating climate change, many scientific institutions rely on advanced technologies like satellite imagery, weather models, and big data to monitor environmental shifts. Yet, for thousands of years, Indigenous Peoples have observed and interpreted climate changes through finely tuned systems of relational knowledge, deeply embedded in land-based practices and generational memory.
These Indigenous climate indicators are not just data points—they are stories, teachings, and warnings, passed down through time and rooted in the interdependence of human and ecological systems. They reflect a worldview where the land, water, sky, and all beings above, among and below are living relatives—each communicating shifts in the Earth’s balance.
What Are Indigenous Climate Indicators?
Indigenous climate indicators are grounded in the seasonal and cyclical patterns Indigenous communities observe over millennia. These indicators are often place-based, holistic, and interdisciplinary, integrating physical, spiritual, and relational dimensions of environmental change.
Some examples include:
- Inuit hunters observe ice thickness or quality changes, sometimes weeks before satellite images detect unsafe conditions.
- Unusual smells in freshwater bodies—an early sign of algal blooms or oxygen depletion.
- Mismatched seasonal events, like geese migrating before freeze-up, as reported by the Denesuline in the subarctic regions of Canada.
- The taste and texture of snow can indicate shifts in air composition or atmospheric pollution.
Unlike Western science, which often isolates variables, Indigenous knowledge systems understand change as part of a broader, interconnected ecological narrative, recognizing how a single disruption can cascade across entire ecosystems.
Language as Climate Memory
Indigenous languages are not only repositories of culture—they are also tools for reading the environment. For example:
- The Inuit term “Uggianaqtuq” is used in Nunavut to describe weather that feels “strange” or “unusual.” It doesn’t translate directly into English, because it expresses more than just observation—it communicates concern, deviation from the norm, and emotional or spiritual dissonance.
- In Mi’kma’ki, Elder Albert Marshall introduced the concept of “Etuaptmumk” or “Two-Eyed Seeing,” which promotes the use of both Indigenous and Western lenses when approaching climate solutions, valuing each perspective as equally valid and necessary.
These linguistic frameworks provide nuance and context that Western science often overlooks, particularly regarding early warnings and culturally appropriate responses to environmental change.
Why These Indicators Matter
Indigenous climate indicators often detect changes earlier than Western technologies, offering critical lead time to adapt or respond. For example:
- Inuit hunters in the Arctic have long reported thinner, unpredictable sea ice—well before NASA satellites confirmed the shrinking ice cap.
- Anishinaabe harvesters have observed the decline of manoomin (wild rice) as water levels, fish patterns, and shoreline plants shift, signalling broader watershed changes not immediately visible in hydrological data.
These indicators are also relational—they carry the weight of responsibility. When an Elder notices something “off” in the land, it is not merely recorded; it becomes a call to ceremony, action, or teaching.
Supporting the Integration of Knowledge Systems
Increasingly, collaborative climate initiatives are recognizing the power of Indigenous observation. Projects like the Indigenous Climate Change Observation Network (ICCON) and Two-Eyed Seeing research programs have begun to bridge knowledge systems through respectful partnerships.
However, more work remains to ensure that Indigenous Knowledge is incorporated and respected on its terms, with Indigenous data sovereignty, cultural protocols, and community ownership at the forefront.
Recommendations for Readers
- Advocate for Indigenous-Led Research
- Support climate funding streams prioritizing Indigenous-led monitoring, research, and land-based education. Encourage governments and institutions to include Indigenous Knowledge Keepers in environmental decision-making bodies.
- Promote Equitable Knowledge Partnerships
- Encourage universities, climate organizations, and weather services to engage in ethical, co-designed research with Indigenous communities, where Indigenous Peoples define what is studied, how data is used, and how outcomes are shared.
- Educate Yourself
- Watch the CBC documentary on “Etuaptmumk: Two-Eyed Seeing” to understand how Indigenous and Western science can work in harmony. Explore additional resources through the Indigenous Climate Change Observation Network.
- Respect Indigenous Data Sovereignty
- Climate data shared by Indigenous Peoples must remain within their control. Advocate for policies and agreements that uphold Indigenous intellectual property rights and data stewardship protocols.
Blog by Rye Karonhiowanen Barberstock
(Image Credit : Teunard Droog, Unsplash)
The post Indigenous Climate Indicators: Reading the Land Beyond Western Metrics appeared first on Indigenous Climate Hub.
Indigenous Climate Indicators: Reading the Land Beyond Western Metrics
Climate Change
‘This is a fossil fuel crisis’, Greenpeace tells Senate gas tax Inquiry, citing homegrown renewables as path to energy security
CANBERRA, Tuesday 21 April 2026 — Greenpeace Australia Pacific has slammed gas corporation war profiteering and environmental damage in a scathing Senate hearing today as part of the Select Committee on the Taxation of Gas Resources, urging fair taxation of gas corporations and the transition to secure, homegrown renewable energy to protect Australian households and the economy from future energy shocks.
Speaking at the hearing, Greenpeace said the US and Israel’s illegal war on Iran has laid bare the fundamental flaws of an energy system built on fossil fuel extraction, geopolitical power plays and corporate greed, and will be a defining moment for how the world thinks about energy security.
Greenpeace’s submission and full opening remarks can be found here.
Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
“This is not an energy crisis, it’s a fossil fuel crisis. The crisis we’re all facing lays bare the dangers of fossil fuel dependence, for our energy security, our communities, and for global peace and stability.
“Gas corporations like Woodside, Santos, Shell and Chevron — the same companies whose CEOs refused to front this Inquiry — are making obscene war profits, using the illegal war on Iran to price gouge, profiteer and push for more gas we don’t need — while people and our environment pay the price.
“Australians are getting smashed by soaring bills and the impacts of climate disasters — gas corporations should be paying their fair share to help this country, instead of sending billions offshore, tax-free.
“But we’re at a turning point — while gas corporations cynically push to open up more of our oceans and land to drilling for fossil fuels, our allies like the UK are doubling down on renewables in response to the fossil fuel crisis. Our trading partners in Asia are making the same reassessment of fossil fuels.
“Which is why the hearing today is crucial: an effective and well-designed tax on the gas industry’s obscene war time profits is a chance to channel funds to people and communities, fast-track the rollout of clean, secure homegrown wind and solar energy, while holding polluters accountable.
“Our dependence on fossil fuels leave us overexposed to the whims of tyrants like Trump — it’s in Australia’s national interest to end the fossil fuel chokehold for good and usher in the era of clean energy security.”
-ENDS-
Media contact
Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org
HOW WOODSIDE’S BROWSE GAS PROPOSAL THREATENS SCOTT REEF’S GREEN TURTLES AND PYGMY BLUE WHALES
Woodside’s Browse to NWS gas project is under assessment by the WA and Federal Governments right now. This is a project that involved drilling up to 50 gas wells around Scott Reef off the coast of WA. Gas would be extracted directly underneath Scott Reef and Sandy Islet and pumped through a 900-kilometre subsea pipeline to the NWS gas processing facility.
Woodside’s Browse gas project’s impact on Scott Reef’s marine habitats?
Scott Reef is one of Australia’s most ecologically significant marine environments, where green turtles breed, pygmy blue whales feed, and an array of at-risk species, including sharks, dolphins, whale sharks, rays, sawfish and sea snakes thrive. It is home to many threatened species, including some found nowhere else on Earth or in genetically isolated groups, magnifying its importance from a conservation perspective.
This delicate reef’s ecosystem faces multiple threats if Woodside’s Proposed Project goes ahead, including seismic blasting, gas flaring, noise pollution, artificial lighting, pipe laying and fast-moving vessels. The reef also faces the risk of a gas well blowout, which could have catastrophic and irreversible consequences for the region’s reefs and marine parks.
Woodside’s woeful marine impacts management plan
To secure their approvals, Woodside had to develop a plan for how they would manage the significant risks to threatened green turtles and endangered pygmy blue whales if the project proceeds. We’ve had two independent scientists provide a technical assessment of Woodsides management plan for whales and turtles and their findings are gobsmacking.
Their assessment found that Woodsides management plans for these species misrepresents or does not assess the risks the Browse project poses to Scott Reef’s pygmy blue whales and green turtles. They’ve also surmised that if the project goes ahead the impacts contradict the Australian government’s own recovery plan for turtles and Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for Blue Whales.
The State and Federal Governments now have the opportunity to define their legacies on nature protection and save Scott Reef from Woodside’s dirty gas.
Technical Assessment of Woodside’s Browse Pygmy Blue Whale Management Plan
Prepared for Greenpeace Australia Pacific by Dr Ben Fitzpatrick of Oceanwise Australia with Dr Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University.
The full technical assessment is available HERE
Scott Reef is a vital feeding, foraging and resting habitat for pygmy blue whales.
Pygmy blue whales feed, forage and rest in the Scott Reef region every year. Scott Reef is recognised as a Biologically Important Area for the pygmy blue whale and is an important stop-over on their annual migration.
Woodside’s Browse gas project could delay or prevent the population recovery of the endangered pygmy blue whales that rely on Scott Reef, heightening their extinction risk.
- Woodside’s management plan claims of “no credible threat of significant impacts” are not supported by scientific evidence.
- The management plan relies on outdated whale population information.
- Woodside has claimed it is unclear whether Scott Reef is a foraging habitat for pygmy blue whales, despite the presence of pygmy blue whales and significant concentrations of krill being documented in the area.
- The PBWMP ignores the impacts of industrial noise on whale-to-whale communication. This is especially concerning as mother-calf pairs migrate through the Scott Reef Biologically Important Area shortly after calves are born. Mother-calf pairs rely on continuous, uninterrupted communications to maintain their connection.
Woodside’s Browse gas project could delay or prevent the population recovery of the endangered pygmy blue whales that rely on Scott Reef, heightening their extinction risk.
Technical Assessment of Woodside’s Browse Turtle Management Plan
Prepared for Greenpeace Australia Pacific by Dr Ben Fitzpatrick of Oceanwise Australia.
The full technical assessment is available HERE
Scott Reef is a vital nesting ground for unique green turtles.
The green turtles that nest at Scott Reef’s low-lying Sandy Islet sand cay and nearby Browse Island are genetically unique and are classified as ‘Extremely Vulnerable’ in Australia’s Recovery Plan for Marine Turtles.
Woodside’s Browse gas project could make Scott Reef’s unique green turtles extinct.
- The Browse project would operate within 20 kilometres of nesting habitat that’s critical to the survival of Scott Reef’s genetically unique and vulnerable green turtle population.
- Woodside’s Browse Turtle Management Plan (TMP) misrepresents the risks the Browse project poses to Scott Reef’s green turtles.
- Claims in Woodside’s TMP about Scott Reef’s green turtle population size, nesting success and hatchling numbers are not backed by scientific evidence.
- The TMP proposes gathering updated data after the Browse project is approved.
- Woodside’s TMP proposes adding sand sourced elsewhere to Sandy Islet to counter subsidence and erosion, but fails to properly assess the associated risks.
To save Scott Reef and protect our oceans and animals, the State and Federal Governments must reject Browse.
Technical Assessment of Woodside’s Browse Pygmy Blue Whale Management Plan
To secure their approvals, Woodside had to develop a plan for how they would manage the significant risks to threatened green turtles if the project proceeds. We’ve had two independent scientists provide a technical assessment of Woodside’s management plan for whales and turtles and their findings are gobsmacking.
Woodside’s Browse gas project could make Scott Reef’s unique green turtles extinct.
Woodside’s Browse gas project could delay or prevent the population recovery of the endangered pygmy blue whales that rely on Scott Reef, heightening their extinction risk.
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