Climate change impacts on Indigenous Peoples and local communities. A global perspective through local studies

Indigenous Peoples and local communities with nature-dependent livelihoods are disproportionately affected by climate change, particularly in regions such as the Arctic, small islands, and mountains. Their deep connection to the environment allows them to observe and interpret climate change impacts through unique cultural and ecological perspectives. In response to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) call for inclusive, rights-based climate strategies, and with funding from the ERC, a network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers teamed up in the Local Indicators of Climate Change Impacts (LICCI) project to document Indigenous knowledge of climate change impacts and inform policy. The project used a place-specific but cross-culturally comparable research protocol to document indicators of climate change impacts, as locally experienced, in 48 sites inhabited by Indigenous Peoples and local communities and covering all climate zones and nature-dependent livelihoods. The project resulted in three main findings. First, Indigenous Peoples and local communities offer holistic, place-based, and culturally grounded understandings of environmental change, emphasizing elements relevant to their livelihoods. Their observations reveal how climate impacts exacerbate long-standing socioeconomic and political marginalization. Second, Indigenous communities rely on context-specific adaptation strategies, drawing from intergenerational knowledge and local resources to cope with multiple drivers of change. However, their responses are often constrained by economic, political, and socio-cultural barriers at various levels. Finally, divergent understandings of change challenge generalized climate assessments. Indigenous and local knowledge is context-dependent and may not always align with scientific evidence, yet integrating these perspectives can offer valuable insights to prioritize locally relevant research and policy actions. As key knowledge holders, Indigenous Peoples should play a greater role in shaping climate responses at local and global levels.