Climate change and indigenous peoples keynote address
Background
Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by climate change and natural disasters, yet they are often marginalized from policy and academic discussions. Moreover, discussion of indigenous people and climate change opens up much broader discussion about environmental epistemologies across diverse cultures, as well as environmental management, race and class dynamics, and the intersection of local, national, and global issues.
In 2012, the University of Oregon hosted a student-focused symposium on indigenous peoples and climate change, which sparked great interest among students, faculty and community members. On April 10, 2013, the University will build on the interest sparked last year with the second annual Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples keynote lecture in the Many Nations Longhouse at 6:30 pm. This lecture is part of the University of Oregon Climate Change Research Symposium, which will take place on April 10, 2013 from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. All events are free and open to the public.
Keynote speakers
The 2013 keynote address will feature Frank Lake, research ecologist from the USDA Forest Service-Pacific Southwest Research Station, and Kyle Powys Whyte, professor at Michigan State University. The keynote speakers will engage each other and the audience about why the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples in the United States are unique and how a relationship of reciprocity between tribes and nature informs indigenous approaches to climate change.
Lake, who identifies as Karuk, Seneca, Cherokee and Mexican, will discuss his current research about how traditional ecological knowledge can be incorporated into scientific research to support adaptation and mitigation for climate change strategies.
Whyte is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Shawnee, Okla. and is currently the principal investigator of Manajiwin Project: Respecting Tribes and First Nations in Environmental Management. The project addresses natural resource and environmental issues like climate change that have impacts across broad geographic areas and require cross-boundary management approaches.