Pathways for Just Indigenous Futures: Exploring Indigenous-Based Collaboration Frameworks in Climate Change Adaptation
Open Access
- Author:
- Boon, Olivia
- Graduate Program:
- Landscape Architecture
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 02, 2023
- Committee Members:
- Stuart Echols, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies
Stephen Paul Mainzer, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Peter Stempel, Committee Member
Leann Andrews, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Indigenous
Climate change
Justice
Collective Capacity
Framework
Community Engagement
Adaptation - Abstract:
- Indigenous people are the highest at-risk group for climate change impacts such as extreme weather events and rising waters (Hutton & Allen, 2020; Leonard, 2021). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that over the next 30 years, the sea level on the US coast will rise an average of 25.4 - 30.5 centimeters, an amount equal to the total sea level rise over the past 100 years (Sweet et al., 2022). Native American tribes are acutely vulnerable to climate change impacts due to a history of ongoing colonial disenfranchisement, displacement to high-risk locations, and a loss of traditional subsistence practices (Bronen, 2010; Hutton & Allen, 2020; Maldonado et al., 2013). Indigenous scholars and planners are identifying justice-based strategies to combat climate change impacts and existing injustices (Leonard, 2021; Maldonado et al., 2013; Whyte, 2013). However, no known studies have examined how or whether these frameworks are being used in practice. This thesis investigates how non-Indigenous institutions are navigating climate change adaptation work with tribal communities in North America. Using a qualitative inductive analysis of interview data, themes emerge demonstrating current approaches used in tribal engagement by NGOs, government agencies, and academic institutions. The results suggest principles for a pathway forward for just collaboration, including actions such as relationship building, Indigenous representation on projects, respecting tribal leadership, and providing tangible community benefits.