Exploring Indigenous Health and Wellbeing in the Context of Anthropogenic Climate Change – UCL

Report on the Event: Exploring Indigenous Health and Wellbeing in the Context of Climate Change

Introduction

The event convened researchers from diverse disciplines and career stages to examine critical intersections between anthropogenic climate change and Indigenous health globally. Emphasizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 15 (Life on Land), the discussions aimed to deepen understanding and promote actionable insights.

Key Themes Explored

1. Impact of Climate Change on Indigenous Health
   • Effects on mental and physical health
   • Community wellbeing and concepts of ‘good living’
   • Multispecies and planetary health perspectives
2. Indigenous Resilience and Worldviews
   • Survivance and resilience in the face of environmental change
   • Engagement with the more-than-human world
3. Indigenous Climate Action
   • Activism, adaptation, and mitigation efforts
4. Indigenous Epistemologies
   • Shaping understandings and responses to climate change

Keynote Address

Professor Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at UCL Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction and Professor II at the University of Agder, delivered the keynote speech. His research integrates climate change with disaster and health diplomacy, island sustainability, and risk education, aligning with SDG 3 and SDG 13 objectives.

Panel Sessions

Panel 1: Languages and Temporalities

• “Words in a Dictionary in a Novel: Ecologies of Language and Their Role in Indigenous Health and Wellbeing” – Alexandra Effe
• “Imaginary Territory” – Claudia Ramírez Julio
• “Plural Epistemologies Against Linear Time: Indigenous Futurity in (Post) Apocalyptic Times” – Elisa Randazzo

Panel 2: More Than Human Relations

• “Dying for Bad Karma? Tibetan Pastoral Kinship, Interspecies Care, and Buddhist Ecology of the Yak in an Era of Anthropogenic Climate Change” – Bo Yang
• “Indigenous Mineral Knowledge as Geoheritage in the Arctic Anthropocene” – Nadezhda Mamontova
• “Creating a Cosmopolitics of Climate Change Among the Callawaya” – Rosalyn Bold

Panel 3: (Re)centring the Margins

• “The Impact of Climate Change on the Mental Health of Populations at Disproportionate Risk of Health Impacts and Inequities” – Germán Andrés Alarcón Garavito
• “Health and Resilience for Indigenous Communities through Optimal Indoor Environments under Climate Change” – Yasemin Didem Aktas
• “Ecological Grief or Environmental Adaptation: Making Sense of Inuit Perspectives on a Changing Climate” – Jeevan Toor

Panel 4: Decolonial Feminist Ecologies

• “‘Our Cows Died So I Was Taken Out of School’: Drought, Gender-Based Violence, and Indigenous Wellbeing in Kenya’s Maasailand” – Gabriella Santini
• “‘Echoes of the River’ On the Absence and Afterlife of Indigenous Knowledge” – Sangita Thebe Limbu
• “Sentipensar Ways of Being Within the World” – Paulina Serrano Tama

Event Organization and Support

The event was co-organized by researchers in Anthropology and Global Health at UCL. Funding was provided by the IAS Octagon Small Grants Fund and SHS Health Mind and Society. The support facilitated provision of refreshments and lunch for in-person attendees, with online participation also enabled, promoting inclusivity aligned with SDG 10.

Contact Information and Accessibility

• Contact persons:
  • Jeevan Toor: jeevan.toor.23@ucl.ac.uk
  • Paulina Serrano Tama: paulina.tama.20@ucl.ac.uk
  • Ros Greiner: rosamund.greiner.18@ucl.ac.uk
• Location: IAS Common Ground (G11, ground floor, South Wing)
• Directions: Find Us
• Accessibility Information: Accessibility Details

Conclusion

This event significantly contributed to advancing knowledge on Indigenous health and wellbeing in the context of climate change, reinforcing the importance of integrating Indigenous epistemologies and promoting sustainable development in line with the SDGs. The multidisciplinary approach and inclusive participation underscore the commitment to global health equity and climate resilience.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article discusses the impact of climate change on mental and physical health, community wellbeing, and Indigenous health, directly relating to this goal.
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • Focus on anthropogenic climate change, Indigenous climate action, activism, adaptation, and mitigation efforts aligns with this goal.
3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The article highlights health impacts on Indigenous peoples, who are often disproportionately affected, addressing inequalities.
4. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • Discussions on Indigenous epistemologies, multispecies and planetary health, and environmental change relate to sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems.
5. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • Risk education for health and disasters mentioned in the keynote speaker’s work connects to this goal.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Target 3.4: Reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being.
   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries for early warning, risk reduction, and management of health risks.
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
4. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • Target 15.1: Ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.
5. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • Target 4.7: Ensure that all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including education for sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, and global citizenship.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

1. Health Indicators
   • Mental health status and prevalence of climate-related health impacts among Indigenous populations (implied through discussions on mental and physical health impacts).
   • Community wellbeing and resilience metrics (implied by focus on Indigenous resilience and survivance).
2. Climate Action Indicators
   • Number of Indigenous climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives (implied by Indigenous climate action and activism).
   • Capacity building and education indicators related to climate change awareness (linked to risk education and climate action education).
3. Inequality Indicators
   • Measures of health disparities and inequities affecting Indigenous peoples (implied by focus on populations at disproportionate risk).
4. Environmental and Biodiversity Indicators
   • Status of terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity in Indigenous territories (implied by discussions on geoheritage and multispecies health).
5. Education Indicators
   • Inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in education curricula (implied by Indigenous epistemologies shaping responses to climate change).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: ucl.ac.uk