In the face of unprecedented climate change, Canada’s Indigenous communities are turning to their most revered knowledge keepers: the Elders. These respected individuals, with their deep understanding of the land and generations of accumulated wisdom, are playing a crucial role in guiding their communities through the challenges of a changing climate. Their insights, rooted in centuries of observation and spiritual connection to the land, offer unique and valuable perspectives on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Traditional Knowledge and Climate Observations
Elders serve as living archives of environmental knowledge, their memories stretching back decades and their teachings encompassing centuries of collective experience. This long-term perspective is invaluable in understanding the subtle shifts in climate that might escape modern scientific observation.
In the James Bay region, Cree Elders have been noting changes in wildlife patterns for years. Moses Neepin, an Elder from York Factory First Nation, shares, “The caribou don’t come as far south as they used to. The ice freezes later and breaks up earlier. These changes affect our hunting and our way of life.” Such observations not only inform local adaptation strategies but also provide crucial data points for climate scientists studying long-term trends.
Elders’ ability to interpret natural signs and seasonal changes offers a nuanced understanding of local ecosystems. For instance, Anishinaabe Elders in Ontario have observed changes in maple sap harvesting seasons, noting shifts that impact traditional sugar bush practices. This knowledge helps communities adapt their harvesting techniques while also serving as an early warning system for broader ecosystem changes.
Guiding Sustainable Practices
(Image Credit: Rafael Albornoz, Unsplash)
One of the most significant contributions of Elders in climate change mitigation is their guidance on sustainable practices. Drawing on traditional ecological knowledge, Elders teach younger generations how to live in harmony with the land, a principle that’s becoming increasingly crucial in the fight against climate change.
On Haida Gwaii, Elders have been instrumental in guiding sustainable forestry practices. Guujaaw, a respected Haida leader and Elder, explains, “Our traditional laws teach us to take only what we need and to think of the future generations. This wisdom is helping us manage our forests in a way that both respects our culture and addresses climate concerns.”
These sustainable practices extend beyond forestry. In many communities, Elders are reviving traditional agricultural methods that are proving to be more resilient to changing climate conditions. For example, in the Okanagan Valley, Syilx Elders are sharing knowledge about drought-resistant plants and water conservation techniques that have been used for generations.
Cultural Continuity in the Face of Climate Change
As the climate changes, so too must some cultural practices. Elders play a vital role in ensuring cultural continuity by adapting traditional practices to new environmental realities while maintaining their core spiritual and cultural significance.
Language preservation is a crucial part of this effort. Many Indigenous languages have specific terms related to weather patterns, ice conditions, and animal behaviours that don’t have direct translations in English or French. By preserving these languages, Elders are also preserving a wealth of climate-related knowledge.
Elder Eli Enns from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation emphasizes this point: “Our language connects us to the land. When we lose words, we lose ways of understanding our environment. Keeping our language alive is part of our climate action.”
Elders in Climate Policy and Decision-Making
(Image Credit: Alan Emery, Unsplash)
Increasingly, Indigenous communities and government bodies are recognizing the importance of including Elders in climate policy and decision-making processes. Their involvement ensures that traditional knowledge is considered alongside scientific data in developing comprehensive climate strategies.
In Nunavut, Inuit Elders play a significant role in the territory’s Climate Change Centre. Their observations of changing sea ice conditions, wildlife migrations, and weather patterns inform policy decisions and adaptation strategies. Elder Jayko Oweetaluktuk shares, “We’ve lived on this land for thousands of years. Our knowledge is not separate from science – it complements it. Together, we can find better solutions.”
Many environmental assessment processes now include consultations with Elders, recognizing that their deep understanding of local ecosystems is crucial for accurately predicting and mitigating the impacts of development projects in a changing climate.
Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer
Perhaps one of the most important roles Elders play is in transferring knowledge to younger generations. This intergenerational learning is vital for building long-term community resilience to climate change.
Across Canada, communities are establishing programs that bring Elders and youth together on the land. In the Northwest Territories, Dene Elders teach young people traditional ice safety techniques, adapting age-old knowledge to account for increasingly unpredictable ice conditions due to climate change.
Sarah Ponask, a youth from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, reflects on her experience: “Learning from our Elders isn’t just about the past – it’s about our future. They teach us how to read the land, how to respect it, and how to protect it. This knowledge is crucial for us as we face climate change.”
Challenges and Opportunities
While the role of Elders in climate change mitigation is increasingly recognized, challenges remain. Documenting and preserving Elder knowledge, especially as it relates to changing environmental conditions, is an ongoing task. Many communities are using digital technologies to record Elders’ stories and observations, creating living archives of climate knowledge.
Integrating Elder wisdom with scientific climate data also presents both challenges and opportunities. Projects like the SIKU app, which combines Inuit knowledge with satellite imagery to track sea ice conditions, show the potential of blending traditional and modern approaches to climate monitoring.
The Wisdom of the Elders, A Guiding Light in Climate Action
As Canada grapples with the realities of climate change, the wisdom of Indigenous Elders shines as a beacon of hope and guidance. Their deep connection to the land, their long-term perspective, and their holistic understanding of ecosystems offer invaluable insights for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The involvement of Elders in climate initiatives does more than just inform strategies – it strengthens cultural resilience, empowers communities, and ensures that climate actions are rooted in respect for the land and future generations.
As we move forward in our collective fight against climate change, amplifying the voices of Indigenous Elders and heeding their wisdom will be crucial. Their teachings remind us that effective climate action is not just about technological solutions but about fostering a deeper, more respectful relationship with the Earth – a lesson that all Canadians, and indeed the world, would do well to embrace.
Blog by Rye Karonhiowanen Barberstock
(Header Image Credit: Getty Images, licensed under Unsplash)
The post The Role of Elders in Guiding Climate Change Mitigation: Wisdom from Canada’s First Nations appeared first on Indigenous Climate Hub.
The Role of Elders in Guiding Climate Change Mitigation: Wisdom from Canada’s First Nations
SYDNEY, Thursday 30 October 2026 — In response to reports that the Albanese government is set to introduce draft legislation this year that would seek to ban data centres in Australia’s suburbs, Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
“These reports are a testament to the growing community opposition to these completely inappropriate AI factories that have sprung up across our suburbs, and Big Tech corporations should take heed — the data centre build-out must not happen without the endorsement of the Australian people.
“But the government can’t simply ship this problem out to regional Australia without addressing the fundamental issues with this extractive new industry.
“We’re already seeing a trend of AI data centre proposals moving to the regions, in areas that are more water-scarce, more environmentally sensitive, and next to sources of fracked and coal seam gas to support their massive BYO gas-fired power plans — a pattern we’ve seen play out in the United States.
“From the Beetaloo Basin in the NT to the Western Downs in Qld, we’re seeing a wave of AI data centre proposals that would see new gas fast-tracked to support their massive energy demand, and threaten to completely derail Australia’s energy transition.
“Just as suburban Australians are asking, “what for?”, regional communities like Berry Springs and Dalby do not want dirty data centres setting up shop with absolutely no benefit to their communities. Greenpeace is calling for a moratorium on AI data centre developments until strict and enforceable safeguards are in place to protect our climate and our communities.”
-ENDS-
Media contact
Kate O’Callaghan on +61 406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org
AI data centre ban in suburbs would not address fundamental issues: Greenpeace
In the thick of the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in 2024, the UN climate talks were rattled by what can only be described as a major PR disaster. The BBC, Reuters and The Guardian all carried headlines, attributed to leading climate policy experts, that the COPs were “no longer fit for purpose”.
The articles outlined a series of reforms called for in an open letter signed by 22 eminent scientists and politicians, including a former UN secretary-general and previous UN climate chief, with a further 150 lending their support. The headlines shook confidence in the COP process, just as governments were wrestling over a new climate finance goal.
The Club of Rome – which handled the media relations for the letter – hurried to say that its “constructive, supportive ideas” had been “misinterpreted”. Negotiators kept calm(ish) and carried on, in the end landing the finance goal after some high-stakes drama on the final day.
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To my surprise, when I went back this week to read the letter again, I could not find the offending line about the COPs not being fit for purpose. The Club of Rome has yet to respond to my query about its disappearance.
Whatever happened to the wording, that sentiment has been widely shared. COPs have ballooned in size while the importance of their outcomes seems to have diminished since the 2015 Paris Agreement (with the exception of the 2023 COP in Dubai where countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems).
The same on the surface
Two years on from those painful headlines in Baku, has anything changed for the better? You might be forgiven for thinking not. Official decisions are still made by consensus rather than the majority voting some have called for to stop blockers.
Tens of thousands of officials, activists and business execs still scurry around the halls to an ever-growing list of side events, roundtables and dialogues, while deals still come down to rows, all-nighters and jargon-filled texts adopted to rounds of applause.
But it would not be true to say that COPs have completely failed to respond to the very real need to translate the words of the Paris Agreement into action in the outside world.
Global warming is projected to be around 1.3C lower this century than it would have been if the world had not committed to tackle the climate crisis under that accord. Developing countries have a valued space at COPs in which their voices have equal weight in decision-making, unlike in many other international fora. And most importantly, perhaps, there has been a subtle shift, tipping the balance away from negotiating towards doing.
Brazil branded last year’s summit in Belém as the “COP of Implementation”, corralling the sprawling Action Agenda into six axes. This was a bid to impose some structure on the mushrooming efforts between governments, UN agencies, cities, businesses and civil society to set targets and spur faster results on their pet issues, from methane emissions to health and adaptation in conflict zones. COP30 alone saw the launch of 120 “plans to accelerate solutions”.
COP30 roadmaps off the cuff
Meanwhile, as the formal negotiations drew to a close, it was clear that consensus decision-making was evolving into something a little more improvised.
With only around half of all countries on board with the idea of a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago announced his team would put one together over the coming year, along with another on how to meet a global goal to halt deforestation by 2030. Those roadmaps will be launched next week, presented and discussed at COP31, though it’s still unclear whether or how they’ll be incorporated into the formal negotiating agenda.
Some leading policy-makers don’t think that matters too much. Speaking to journalists before the Antalya summit, COP30 CEO Ana Toni and Dutch climate minister Stientje van Veldhoven said “coalitions of the willing” can move ahead without needing consensus from the COPs. This, they said, was evident this year at the first global conference on TAFF, co-chaired by van Veldhoven and attended by 60 countries.
“Consensus or no-consensus in the general COP doesn’t make a difference for the choices I have to make in my country to get my country to phase out fossil fuels,” said the Dutch minister. The Netherlands recently became one of the first to publish a national TAFF plan.
COP31 banks on flagship voluntary initiatives
This thinking has permeated the management and expected outcomes of this year’s COP too. Earlier this year, Türkiye, supported by international energy agencies, floated the idea of a voluntary goal to boost electrification to 35% of the world’s final energy consumption by 2035 – and this is now being touted as one of the main results to be expected from Antalya.
Türkiye is also championing a pledge on AI and climate, while co-host Australia is pushing to ease access to climate finance for least developed countries and small island states.
COP31 presidency announces AI pledge as UN climate chief says Big Tech ‘on thin ice’
None of these needs consensus. But with a political cover decision already in the works, as trailed by the COP presidents, they – and perhaps the fossil fuel roadmap – may find a home in the official text if language acceptable to most can be found, giving them them additional weight.
UNFCCC reform process in the shadows
Formal reform is underway too, if quietly. UN climate chief Simon Stiell is leading a review informed by ongoing consultations with a group of 15 well-respected climate policy experts, three of whom signed the open letter in 2024.
Among them is leading Swedish climate and sustainability scientist Johan Rockström who has strong ideas about how to make COPs function better, including a switch to majority voting. He told the same press briefing nothing stands in the way of this, because the rules of procedure for making decisions at COPs have never been formally agreed.
Still, to get away from the default setting of consensus would require agreement on a new system that may be impossible to achieve given the rise in bullying tactics by fossil fuel heavyweights.
Comment: The UN climate process was built for negotiation – now it must support implementation
The deliberations with the high-level policy gurus, as reflected in a summary of June’s session in Bonn, largely echo what’s already happening organically, calling for stronger partnerships and accountability both in and between the Action Agenda and negotiations. It doesn’t mention voting.
A general overview of the reform exercise says that “improving and optimizing the [UN climate] process over the medium to long term… will be critical to fostering trust, enhancing collaboration, and catalyzing increased ambition”.
In the short term, don’t hold your breath for anything concrete on reform at COP31 but watch for signs in what ends up dominating the headlines from Türkiye.
The post Editor’s Desk: COP reform is happening quietly, behind the headlines appeared first on Climate Home News.
Editor’s Desk: COP reform is happening quietly, behind the headlines
With the COP31 climate summit in Turkey looming, all eyes are on China to see what the country will push for in the negotiations.
At COP30 last year, China helped to secure a “dialogue” on climate-related “unilateral trade measures”, as well as a two-year “work programme” concerning climate finance.
The nation also championed south-south cooperation throughout the conference and co-led a summit on methane, alongside Brazil and the UK.
In a recent press conference, China’s environment vice-minister Li Gao noted the need to “uphold multilateralism” and send a “clear political signal” that the global community is united around climate action.