By Anabel Costa
Indigenous peoples are especially vulnerable to climate change because of their close connection to the land, University of Michigan sustainability scholar Kyle Whyte told a Walter H. Capps Center virtual audience on Tuesday.
Whyte spoke about his work with the Potawatomi people in the Great Lakes area and measures they are taking to protect traditional and sacred species. “They are conservation efforts, and environmental justice efforts,” Whyte said.
Kyle Whyte, environment and sustainability professor at the University of Michigan, spoke to a virtual UCSB audience about Indigenous contributions to climate science. The event was sponsored by the Walter H. Capps Center.
He made the remarks in conversation with Capps Center director Greg Johnson and UCSB Environmental Studies professor David Pellow, in the third and final part of a Capps symposium on indigenous peoples and democracy called "Ethics in Place."
Capps Center Director, Greg Johnson, and UCSB Environmental Studies professor, David Pellow, facilitated a conversation with Michigan University scholar Kyle Whyte.
Whyte said the Potawatomi are actively making plans to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, because the timing of seasons is integral to their lives. Rain in the wrong months, or unwanted algae blooms from run-off, create obstacles when harvesting and fishing.
He wants to see climate science include indigenous knowledge, and create more opportunities for native people to study climate change. “Indigenous institutions can also help lead the conversation on climate change,” Whyte said.
Most importantly, indigenous tribes need to be consulted when creating climate policy, because many of the current solutions, like solar and wind power, have negative impacts on their communities. “If there’s not a strong policy for tribal consultation, then native people will continue to be left out of the conversation,” Whyte said.
University of Michigan sustainability professor Kyle Whyte spoke to a virtual UCSB audience Tuesday about the need to consult with native tribes on climate policy .
Whyte also touched on the difference between the Indigenous perception of time versus the colonial perception of time. From the colonial perspective, the climate crisis of today feels new, but Indigenous tribes recognize the larger time scale, and the cycles of climate change, he said. They have previous stories and experience with man-made climate change.
To close out the event, Whyte took audience questions on his thoughts on the emerging use of the term “BIPOC” for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as how he sees Indigenous contribution playing out in the Green New Deal.
Anabel Costa is a fourth year Theater major and Professional Writing minor. She is a Web and Social Media Intern for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.