Understandings, Practices and Human-Environment Relationships—A Meta-Ethnographic Analysis of Local and Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in Selected Pacific Island States

Abstract

Local and Indigenous knowledge systems worldwide indicate adaptation and mitigation strategies to climate change. Particularly in regions that are massively affected by climatic changes, such as the Pacific Island States, there is a need for increased and combined research on the role which these knowledge systems can play internationally. For this reason, this article provides a synthesis of empirical results and approaches to local and Indigenous climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in selected South Pacific Island States by using a meta-ethnographic approach. The reviewed literature is associated with the sub-disciplinary perspective of the Anthropology of Climate Change. The results of the meta-ethnographic analysis are discussed based on three thematic focal points: First, the empirical ground of local understandings of climate change and its theoretical conceptualization(s) are constituted. Second, the results of practices for adaptation to climate change are synthesized and presented in detail throughout one example. Third, the synthesis of climate change mitigation practices is outlined with a specific focus on human-environment relationships.

Impact of Geography on Adaptation for the Future Sustainability of Human Society on Earth

“…Geography has provided a forum to discuss issues of bio-prospecting, carbon trading, protected areas, and creation of a theoretical and empirical framework that assess human-environment systems (Liverman, 2004). Human-environment interrelationships and spatial differentiation can provide a more regionally detailed analysis of the causes and effects of global environmental change including climate change, and the regimes that respond to the changes (Liverman, 2004;von Seggern, 2021). Geographers provide expertise to influence, reform, or replace institutions with other organizations that incorporate greater representation for civil society, and support treaties that provide enforceable and equitable regimes to tackle critical environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental protections (Liverman, 2004).…”

Locally Led Opportunities for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Climate Change and Gender Equality Partnerships in the Blue Pacific

“…Climate action driven by civil society in the Blue Pacific has called for meaningful and locally driven responses to climate change, but this aim has not yet been achieved due to long-term power dynamics between the Global North and South. Localism responses include diverse and decolonised partnerships; agendas set by local actors; climate adaptation activities grounded in an appreciation of local cultures, Indigenous knowledges and the understanding of connection to place; and mitigation of emissions by Northern countries [21,[26][27][28][29][30][31]. Localism is underpinned by bottom-up local leadership and involves a broad set of stakeholders.…”

The Coordinated Development of Ecosystem Services and Farming Household Livelihood Security: A Case Study of the Dongting Lake Area in China

“…Livelihood strategies refer to the activities or choices and their combinations that people adopt to achieve their livelihood goals, which are based on asset access, opportunity perception and actor preferences [30,31]. Livelihood strategies are dynamic and changeable, as farming households tend to transform their livelihood strategies to adapt to the new human-environment relationship when the environmental background, livelihood-related assets, and policy system change dramatically [32,33]. The transformation of livelihood strategies can affect the supply and demand of ESs by changing the land use structure and intensity at different spatial scales [34,35].…”