Perspectives on Indigenous well‐being and climate change adaptation

Abstract

AbstractThough it is often said that climate change is a risk to people's well‐being, the specific ways in which it affects people's well‐being is still poorly understood, especially as it relates to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Two interrelated issues contribute to this gap in knowledge: (1) the use of different conceptualizations of well‐being across disciplines; and (2) the limited use of local and context‐specific understandings of well‐being that are meaningful to people exposed to climate change. Here, we review 103 articles covering the topic of climate change adaptation and well‐being. We find that, despite the growing interest on the topic, most of the articles do not include definitions of well‐being. We then propose an approach informed by emic values to better understand how climate change may affect well‐being in Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. We conclude that, given the increasing recognition of well‐being as a fundamental marker of successful adaptation, well‐being should be central to climate change research and policymaking, but for this to be of benefit to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities context‐specific understandings of well‐being are necessary.This article is categorized under: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Values‐Based Approach to Vulnerability and Adaptation Climate and Development > Sustainability and Human Well‐Being The Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Sociology/Anthropology of Climate Knowledge