Climate Science and Colonialism
Browse the course modules below.
Introduction
A Guide for Educators
Users Guide
Invitation to Educators
Module 1
History of Climate Science and Colonialism
Module 2
Co-production of Knowledge (CPK)
Module 3
Nagbabago ang ihip ng hangin (The Wind Changes Direction)
Module 4
Addressing (post)-colonial and Western biases in climate science
Module 5
Coloniality in Science Diplomacy
Quiz
Course Quiz
Climate Science and Colonialism
Introduction
Welcome to our comprehensive course! This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of Climate Science and Colonialism.
This courtse is an initiative of the My Climate Risk Education Working Group, this repository of tools and resources provides an opportunity for educators and their students to think critically and ethically about the interrelationship between climate science and colonialism. The intent of the Climate Science and Colonialism project is to help improve climate science education for meaningful engagement and action around the world. The resources presented here were built from two webinars organized by the Education Working Group in 2023. We hope to continue adding useful resources as we build them in the future.
Introduction
Welcome, Educators! The educational resources in our Climate Science and Colonialism education project are designed for high school through undergraduate college settings, although scholars and teachers at the Masters’ level may also find the resources useful. There are many ways to use these resources. Broadly speaking, they may be used in one of the following two ways:- Incorporation into pre-existing courses in any discipline: educators might wish to take some of these resources into existing curricula in order to enrich and inform their courses. In this document, we provide some suggestions as to some ways these might be done.
- Creation of an independent course focused on Climate Science and Colonialism. This may be best suited for undergraduate college and the graduate level.
This Users’Guide begins with a broad list of Learning Outcomes for the resources as a whole, followed by an overview of topics and themes presented in the form of two concept maps/ mind maps. We then present a grid for each module, that summarizes, along with time stamps, themes and sub-themes in order to make it easier for you to see cross-connections and determine which sections of the modules, in what order, might be best suited for your courses. Finally, we provide some suggestions for incorporating this material into your courses, based on the above two possibilities.
No matter how you decide to use these materials, we strongly suggest that you first review the materials in the Preliminary Module. This includes
- Preparatory Discussion and a list of readings on Indigenous ways of knowing
- Climate change science basics,
- Readings to understand terms such as colonialism, imperialism and coloniality).
The Preliminary Module provides foundational knowledge and information that is common to all the modules. The Preparatory Discussion in particular is motivated by the need to break from the standard, conventional and colonialist approach to learning that has become the default mode in education around the globe. It presents a re-orientation that foregrounds student experiences and local knowledge as a beginning place for exploring climate science and colonialism.
Broad Learning Outcomes for the Climate Science and Colonialism Education Project
After completing the modules in the Climate Science and Colonialism Education project, including the Preliminary Module, students should be able to demonstrate the following:Knowledge and Understanding
Articulate in multi-modal ways (oral, written, kinesthetic, artistic) the meanings of terms such as ‘ways of knowing’ and ‘knowledge systems’, Indigenous ways of knowing and scientific methods/ways of knowing, colonialism, imperialism, coloniality; including also basic terms relevant to the understanding of climate science, evidence and impacts, such as greenhouse gases, greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, fossil fuels, climate models, climate justice, etc.
Application:
Describe how science, and climate science in particular, has its origins in colonialism, and explain how colonialism continues to affect climate science at different scales, with examples.
Explain how climate change impacts their local, regional and national areas and articulate different perspectives and debates that arise from this.
Describe how colonialism has affected their local, regional and national areas.
Analysis/creativity
Explain how climate science basic knowledge relates to their local situation and culture and compare how climate, weather, and climate change are conceptualized in science and in other ways of knowing such as the local culture, Indigenous ways of knowing, etc.
Synthesis/creativity
Describe common ground between multiple ways of knowing that can potentially lead to better responses to climate impacts and related issues in the local region.
Demonstrate, through discussions and activities, an ability to appreciate perspective-based learning/ communication, which includes self-awareness about one’s own perspective and the ability to detect the shift of lens in a narrative (that is, to hear the different voices, including the muted ones, in a narrative)
Describe ways in which decolonial and equitable approaches could be co-created with local communities so as to foster effective and just climate adaptation and mitigation, and apply this learning to their local contexts through collaborative projects, when possible
Quick Overview: Concept Maps of Talks and Themes
Module 1: Video 1 – History of Climate Science and Colonialism (Mercer & Simpson) Module 2: Video 2 – Co-production of Knowledge: Colonialism within Arctic Research (Rudolf) Module 3: Video 1 - Nagbabago ang ihip ng hangin (The Wind Changes Direction): Colonialism and Climate – A View from the Philippines; (Cruz) Module 4: Video 1 - Addressing (post)-colonial and Western biases in climate science: examples from South Asia (Mehta) Module 5: Video 2 - Coloniality in Science Diplomacy - Evidence from the Atlantic Ocean, Andrei PolejackSuggestions for using the resources
The materials can be used in a number of ways. This section provides some examples of how you might integrate them in existing courses or draw on them to create new ones. For example, Incorporation into pre-existing courses in any discipline: educators might wish to take some of these resources into existing curricula in order to enrich and inform their courses.
Example 1: an introductory undergraduate Earth Science course on Climate Change
We recommend starting with the Preparatory Discussion from the Preliminary Module, allowing students to share their own experiences and local/cultural understandings and stories about climate, weather, risk and uncertainty. The notion of local/ Indigenous knowledge systems can then be introduced.
If not already covered in the course at this point, introduce climate science as another important way of knowing. Key concepts such as the difference between weather and climate, the causes of current climatic change and the scientific evidence, and the current and future impacts, should be explored. It is especially important to emphasize local climatic impacts, as many students around the world are unaware of the extent to which climate change will impact or is already impacting them. For example, many do not connect climate change with the increased risk of extreme weather events.
Next, introduce the ideas of colonialism, imperialism and coloniality. It is important to apply these to students’ current context and the extent to which these have affected education and lives everywhere, and continue to do so. This concludes the preliminary aspect of the exploration.]
Educators may, then, make the choice as to whether to take the historical route regarding the embeddedness of climate science within colonialism, and how it manifests in, for example, IPCC deliberations as elaborated in Module 1 (Mercer and Simpson) and Module 6 (Saheb). Or, they might want students to explore how climate policy and climate action can be conceived and implemented through a decolonial and democratic lens by exploring approaches in the Arctic (Rudolf, Module 2) and in South Asia (Mehta Module 4). We recommend – where possible – team teaching for a course of this kind (for example, an Earth Science professor teaming up with a History professor).
Example 2: a high school world history course
Some modern world history books already have sections describing the role of climatic change in societal shifts, for example droughts contributing to the fall of certain civilizations. They also are likely to discuss colonialism and imperialism. However, the relationship between the origins of climate science and colonialism – including present-day manifestations such as coloniality – are unlikely to be elucidated in conventional history classes. In many parts of the world, the ‘great men’ perspective of history still dominates, ignoring the role of women, ‘ordinary’ people, social forces and natural environmental shifts in shaping the course of civilization.
We suggest starting with the Preparatory Discussion from the Preliminary Module, allowing students to share their own experiences, local/cultural understandings and stories about climate, weather, risk and uncertainty. The notion of local/ Indigenous knowledge systems can then be introduced and contrasted with the (Western) scientific way of knowing. Basics of climate science: the causes, the evidence and the impacts, can help students understand how science works. Question can then be posed: how did we get here? What can we learn from history? Why are there different ways of knowing, and which are dominant and why? If not already introduced at this point, the meanings of colonialism, imperialism and coloniality can be clarified in the context of the Industrial Revolution and European colonialism. The birth of science as we know it, including Newtonian/ Cartesian mechanistic ways of constructing reality, can be introduced in upper level courses. The role of colonialism in shaping science, climate science in particular, can then be illuminated through Module 1 (Mercer and Simpson). If the course allows for a chance to contrast different ways of knowing, an exploration of the Alaskan Arctic context (Rudolf, Module 2,) can make the differences clear.
Creation of an independent course focused on Climate Science and Colonialism
Educators in a position to design their own course can create one around (but not limited to) the modules in this compendium. Here, the two concept maps shown earlier and reproduced below may be of use, as well as the grids showing sub-themes of each module. Again, we suggest beginning with the Preparatory Discussion and thereafter, exploring local/Indigenous versus scientific ways of knowing, as well as the key terms, colonialism, imperialism and coloniality. Basics of climate science, including causes, evidence and impacts, should be studied with a focus on connecting the local to the global. Once this has been done, a possible pathway through the resources might be:
- Historical origins of science and climate science and its relationship to colonialism (Module 1, Mercer and Simpson; refer also to talk by Roy)
- Current-day manifestations of coloniality in climate policy and ocean science (Module 5: Polejack, Module 2: Rudolf and Module 6: Saheb)
- Toward decolonial climate science (Module 2: Rudolf, Module 3: Cruz, Module 4: Mehta)
Invitation to Educators, Users Guide
This module covers the essential building blocks you need to understand before moving on the course.
Introduction
An invitation to educators and a Users guide that provides an overview of the material and suggestions for use in different disciplinary contexts.
Summary
A rationale of the need for critical engagement with climate science through the lens of colonialism, and to prepare students with alternative approaches for understanding climate, which are rooted in their local contexts while connecting with the planetary.
A guide to the approach, content, organization and themes of modules, and ways for educators to adapt the material
Climate Science and Colonialism: An Invitation to Educators
Dear Educators, Welcome to this Project.
The Climate Science and Colonialism Education Project is an initiative of the My Climate Risk Education Working Group. It is intended to help you to help your students by providing tools and resources for them to think critically and ethically about major existential problems and sweeping changes that will impact students throughout their lives. From preparation for new kinds of jobs to recognizing the difference between real solutions and false solutions, from acting for just transitions to working with their communities to make adaptation just and relevant, a new kind of thinking, conceptualizing and acting is called for. We hope that this Project will be of use for high school curricula as well as undergraduate and introductory graduate-level college courses.
Why this initiative?
We currently face a multitude of existential threats, including climate change, which exacerbates all other crises, from mass extinction of species to poverty, hunger, inequality and conflict. For students to understand why the world looks the way it does in the 21st Century, it is, of course, imperative to understand how colonialism has shaped our perceptions and response to the climate crisis. In addition, it is crucial also to explore how climate science itself, from its inception to current-day practices, is inextricably tied to its colonialist origins. The entanglement of climate science with colonialism is the focus of this Project. This teaching and learning resource provides students with a broad historical perspective on the origins of ideas and key concepts that underpin the conceptual structures and practices of science in general and climate science in particular. It illustrates how colonialist practices that are part of our default thinking can be recognized and provides opportunities for students to consider what alternatives might take their place. It suggests an orientation toward the local, wherever ‘local’ might be, in order to make climate knowledge meaningful, actionable and relevant to students everywhere. It is our hope that this approach, along with the twin lenses of climate science and colonialism, will not only provide students with transferrable skills to support critical and creative thinking across the curriculum, but will enable them to liberate their imaginations and inspire actions toward the realization of a better world.
Content, organization, and cross-cutting themes
This project is based on a 2-part webinar series on climate science and colonialism that was organized by the My Climate Risk Education Working Group in October 2023, with the help of the MCR Ateneo de Manila hub and the World Climate Research Programme secretariat. Eight scholars, most from the Global South, delivered seven talks, which have been organized into Modules. The accompanying Users’ Guide provides several suggestions as to how these may be used in a pre-existing course in any discipline, or as the foundation for an independent course.
The project will introduce students to contemporary research into the role of colonialism and coloniality in shaping our understanding of climate change and how the world is responding to it. Alongside videos of the original webinar series, we have included key themes within each talk, introductory questions for students, ideas for student debates and independent research, as well as lists of further reading and resources, (including a glossary of commonly used technical terms and acronyms). We strongly recommend that educators add their own resources that reflect issues and dilemmas that are most relevant locally and encourage students to reflect on ‘their’ climate risk, the challenges their communities are facing, and the steps people are taking locally in response to these.
The materials, broadly speaking, can be categorized as follows.
Science and Colonialism through history.
This sets out the wider landscape and includes a talk on world historical factors that shaped climate science; reference is made to a talk on a case study of colonialism in tropical medicine that illustrates some key features.Colonialism and Climate Science in the present day – the transnational scale.
This section includes a discussion of (i) the work of the IPCC and geo-political dimensions that reflect the colonial legacy and (ii) a case study looking at Ocean Science Diplomacy in the Atlantic.Colonialism and Climate Science in the present day – the local scale.
Two talks illustrate the damage that can be caused by ‘expert led’ interventions and highlight how this can be countered by working in decolonial ways. Case studies are taken from South Asia and the Arctic regions of Alaska.Decolonizing Science
- local to global, drawing from a local, situated experience of colonialism and resistance toward a holistic and decolonial epistemological opening up of science.
There are several cross-cutting themes across the seven talks, which can further connect to broader themes beyond the talks themselves, such as just transitions and challenges, agricultural change, cultural ideas on food production, food security and livelihoods, structural and cultural racism in the climate & sustainability sciences, and challenging the assumption that the Global South must go through the same process of development as the Global North. Questions that can be raised more broadly, to which this Project can contribute, include, for example: How did we get to the current situation? How might we deal with the tension between co-existence with the rest of Nature and human needs? What would a sufficiency-based scenario (Yamina’s talk) look like in a local, situated context?
Please see the Users’ Guide for broad learning outcomes, an overview of topics and themes, and ideas and recommendations about implementation.
Module 1: History of Climate Science and Colonialism
In this Module, you will hear the experts talking about the history of climate science and colonialism. This Module is based on the contents shared by two experts in this field: Harriet Mercer and Thomas Simpson. Key topics included in this Module include the evolution of the concept of climate science and colonialism; major themes of the climate science, colonialism and empire; international framework and the neo colonialism in the IPCC.
Welcome to Module one !!!
In this Module, you will hear the experts talking about the history of climate science and colonialism. This Module is based on the contents shared by two experts in this field: Harriet Mercer and Thomas Simpson. Key topics included in this Module include the evolution of the concept of climate science and colonialism; major themes of the climate science, colonialism and empire; international framework and the neo colonialism in the IPCC.
Broad Learning Outcomes
At the end of module, student should be able to demonstrate:Knowledge and Understanding
Explain the drivers of climate science in the 19th century. Explain the difference between colonialism and coloniality.
Application:
Demonstrate, in written and/or oral form, the ability to make connections between the idea of scientific progress that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries and the theories of historical change that prevailed in the western academy at that time
Analysis/creativity
Demonstrate the ability to analyse the proposition that the drivers of 19th century climate science also fuelled the climate crisis of the 21st century
Synthesis/creativity
Describe different sides of the argument in discussions relating to the legacy of 19th century climate science and be able to represent these different sides in debates with fellow students
Contents
The main contents of this module is embedded in the video presentations by the experts. This video is here.Timeline of the Video and the Contents Included
Look at the specific sections of the video and familiarize yourself from the concepts outlined in this module.
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Topic One: Imperial Climate Knowledge-Making & Transmission
Imperial Climate Knowledge-Making & Transmission: What was behind the growth of interest in Climate Science in the industrial West during the 19th Century
Time: 1:05:19 to 1:09:56
Contextual Reading
- Mercer, H., & Simpson, T. (2023). Imperialism, colonialism, and climate change science. WIREs Climate Change, 14(6), e851. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.851;
- Rohan Deb Roy https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/science-bears-fingerprints-colonialism-180968709/ For Upper level question 2:
- Farhana Sultana : The Unbearable Heaviness of Climate Coloniality, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2022.102638
Questions for Students
Review the chronological time line. List the key events on the timeline.
What do you understand by 'Colonial legacies’ ?
Can you give an example of a ‘colonial legacy’, either from the video or from your own observations and experience?
Critical Thinking
In what ways have the imperial and colonial contexts shaped (i) our understanding of climate change and (ii) the means by which we can respond to this?
Colonial and post colonial exploitation are pillars of the global economic system driving climate change. What is needed to achieve a ‘just energy transition’ without further exploitation of the global south?
Note: possible discussion point on intersection of racism and colonialism; Coen reference
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Topic Two: The biographical approach to history – the ‘great men’ theory and the history of climate science
Imperial Climate Knowledge-Making & Transmission: What was behind the growth of interest in Climate Science in the industrial West during the 19th Century
Time: 1:10:10 to 1:12:50
Contextual Reading
- See Mercer & Simpson WIREs Climate Change, 14(6), e851, for an understanding of methodologies framing historical discourse on climate , imperialism and colonialism
Questions for Students
What do you understand by the term 'biographical history'? What information do the speakers provide that could contribute to a critique of 'biographical history'?
Can you think of any examples of the ‘great man’ theory in the history of your own country? Note to educators: encourage students to discuss whether it is appropriate in the 21st century to talk about the ‘great man’ theory of history, for example, have women leaders broken from the patriarchal mode or not?
Critical Thinking
What might historians miss if they focus on individual figures in history (often men)? What alternative theories of historical change emerged in the 19th Century?
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Topic Three: Summary: Five key themes on Climate Science, Colonialism and Empire
Imperial Climate Knowledge-Making & Transmission: What was behind the growth of interest in Climate Science in the industrial West during the 19th Century
Time: 1:12:51 to 1:23:06
Contextual Reading
- Margaret Rudolf’s talk
- Lyla Mehta’s talk
- Nikki Carsi Cruz’s talk
- See also Farhana Sultana, “The Unbearable Heaviness of Coloniality” https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2022.102638
Questions for Students
Review the meanings of colonialism, imperialism and coloniality: Can you give examples of ‘coloniality’ that you’ve observed in your own experience?
What are the five themes that indicate how colonialism and imperialism manifested historically in climate science? List and describe each, with examples.
How does the colonial legacy manifest in climate science and policy today? Discuss the speakers' critiques.
By what means do the speakers recommend we could do better?
With reference to the diagram the speakers mention in the IPCC report on the history of climate science, try to create a timeline of climate science that includes the impact of colonialism and imperialism.
Critical Thinking
What are the mechanisms that determine the dynamics of knowledge production and distribution within the realm of climate science? How could these be challenged and changed?
What examples can you find of colonial patterns being reproduced in measures to adapt to climate change? How might these pitfalls be avoided? (Consider the concept of ‘Just Transition’.)
What do you understand by ‘Progress’? If you had the chance to change current ideas of progress, what would your priority be? Who would you need to influence? How would you set about this challenge?
Empowering Indigenous Practices and Rethinking Science Domains: How can Indigenous knowledge be validated without co-opting it? How might this be done?
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Topic Four: Lasting legacies of Colonialism: the IPCC - the international framework for consensus building in climate science and climate action
Imperial Climate Knowledge-Making & Transmission: What was behind the growth of interest in Climate Science in the industrial West during the 19th Century
Time: 1:23:07 to 1:26:02
Contextual Reading
- What is the IPCC?-reference to simple beginners guide needed. Eg IPCC factsheet https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2021/07/AR6_FS_What_is_IPCC.pdf
- More critically on current IPCC process: The Green European; https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/why-the-ipcc-cant-escape-climate-politics/
- Yamina Saheb: How Scientists from the Global South are sidelined in the IPCC https://theintercept.com/2022/11/17/climate-un-ipcc-inequality/
- Cross-reference: Yamina Saheb’s talk
Questions for Students
What is the IPCC? What does it do?
The speakers refer to the IPCC’s recent acknowledgement of the colonial legacy. Why do the speakers think its impact is limited?
Critical Thinking
Discussion prompt: What happens when people only communicate with others who share similar backgrounds and subject-based interests? Reflect on your own experience. How can these problems be overcome?
Notes to Educators: Consider raising the issue of silos within the IPCC process that perpetuate colonial patterns of thought—for example, separating ‘hard’ physical science from complex social and environmental realities. How can these be overcome?
Introduce the idea of tokenism. Discuss its implications, particularly how it risks side-stepping fundamental issues of justice and equity.
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Topic Five: What is the value of histories of Climate Science
Imperial Climate Knowledge-Making & Transmission: What was behind the growth of interest in Climate Science in the industrial West during the 19th Century
Time: 1:26:54 to 1:29:58
Contextual Reading
- How are indigenous and colonised communities marginalised in the IPCC process?
- Analysing engagement with indigenous people in IPCC;npj Climate Action (2023) 2:29 ; Carmona et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-023-00048-3
- Indigenous People (basic) https://www.un.org/en/fight-racism/vulnerable-groups/indigenous-peoples
- Indigenous knowledge systems and ways of knowing: https://e360.yale.edu/features/native-knowledge-what-ecologists-are-learning-from-indigenous-people
- Exploring Environmental History https://www.eh-resources.org/what-is-environmental-history/
- Environmental Justice in the Global South, Ekhator, 2023 https://www.eh-resources.org/what-is-environmental-history/
Questions for Students
Review ‘Indigenous people’ and ‘Indigenous Knowledge Systems.’ (Preliminary Module)
What examples, stories, songs, or proverbs do you have from your own community about weather and climate?
What did you learn about justice from this part of the talk?
Critical Thinking
The speakers highlight the way that during the colonial period, knowledge relating to climate and meteorology was seen as ‘scientific’ and held within the ‘archives of science’. Indigenous knowledge of climate was classified as non-scientific, but rather as ‘social’ or ‘cultural’ and held within the ‘archives of society’. Do you think this division is justified? Why or why not?
Do you see these consequences as positive or negative? Why?
Can historians of climate science add anything to climate science in the present today? If yes, give examples of what they can contribute and how. If you think history offers an understanding of the past but has little relevance to current debates, justify this view.
Given the current environmental crises, should history be limited only to human concerns? Explore the field of Environmental History (https://www.eh-resources.org/what-is-environmental-history/) and find out how it is approached in your region.
Where do issues of justice come in? Explore Environmental Justice from its origins in anti-racism in North America to how it manifests in the Global South (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4487210).
Module 2: Co-production of Knowledge (CPK): Colonialism within Arctic Research
Welcome to Module Two !!!
Congratulations for successfully completing Module 1 In which you have looked at the drivers of climate science in the 19th century
and also how climate science is connected to colonialism. In this module, we Will focus on the Co production of knowledge in
climate science. The module starts with the meaning of Co production of knowledge an epistemological communities followed by
different examples of epistemic colonialism and its consequences in climate science. We will also look at the research carried out by
indigenous scientists who have worked on climate adaptation drawing on a range of different contexts. Finally we will also look at
the indigenous science and western science with reference to climate change and adaptations.
Broad Learning Outcomes
At the end of module, you should be able to demonstrate:Knowledge and Understanding
Articulate and explain with examples, the meaning of co-production of knowledge and epistemological communities.
Application
Drawing on examples in this module, identify different examples of epistemic colonialism and discuss its consequences.
Analysis/Creativity
Demonstrate the ability to analyse why insights from indigenous scientists are essential for successful climate adaptation, drawing on a range of different contexts.
Synthesis/Creativity
Debate issues raised in this module such as ‘Is it useful to draw a line between indigenous science and western science?’
Contents
The main contents of this module is embedded in the video presentations by the experts. This video is here.Timeline of the Video and the Contents Included
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Topic One: Challenges of Climate Science
Timeline
00:35:00 – 00:56:01
The speaker establishes her positionality as both a member of the Iñupiaq community and as a climate researcher and scientist, sharing her family’s relocation and cultural loss due to government policy.
Contextual Reading
- Review materials from the Preliminary Module on colonialism, settler colonialism, racism and Indigenous Peoples.
- Alaska Native peoples’ struggle for land: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_kse-Uh-g
- Definition of positionality: https://methods.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/encyclopedia-of-action-research/chpt/positionality
Questions for Students
What is ‘Positionality’?
What kinds of contradictions and challenges did the speaker have to confront as an Indigenous scientist?
Critical Thinking
Can you explain the underlying reasons Indigenous scientists face these challenges? Cross-reference, e.g., Rohan Deb Roy and Mercer and Simpson.
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Topic Two: Knowledge Co-Production (KCP)
Defining knowledge co-production (KCP). History of failure in research with marginalised communities
Time: 00:39:39 – 00:41:41
Contextual Reading
- Review materials from Dr. Lyla Mehta: ‘Addressing (post) colonial and western biases in climate science’.
- Students are invited to register for the free online course: Learning to Co-Produce (L2CP), available at: walker.reading.ac.uk/academy/courses/learning-to-co-produce/
Questions for Students
What are the essential features of KCP?
Critical Thinking
Create a research scenario in your own context. What steps would you take to make a reality of KCP—who would you involve and how? What major obstacles do you envisage?
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Topic Three: Boundaries in CPK
Time: 00:40:03 – 00:41:41
00:43:24 – 00:44:46
00:43:24 – 00:44:46
Contextual Reading
- Boundaries in CPK or Modes of Work
Annu. Rev. Sociol. 2002. 28:167–95. doi: 10.1146/annurev.soc.28.110601.141107 (Old but good introduction) - Boundary organisations and environmental governance
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2017.11.001 - The ‘co’ in co-production of climate action: challenging boundaries
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102445
The Big Picture
Framing CPK as Triple-Loop Learning
Questions for Students
Why do you think the science–policy–community boundary has arisen?
In your own words, describe what is meant by Triple-loop learning. What is its special value in KCP?
Critical Thinking
Are you convinced by the concept of ‘boundary agencies’? What qualities are needed to navigate between different ‘epistemological communities’ invested in facing the policy and governance challenges raised by climate change to find equitable solutions?
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Topic Four: Research as a Colonial Act
Time: 00:45:22 – 00:46:07
Contextual Reading
- See The Kawerak Social Science Program website: https://kawerak.org/knowledge-sovereignty-and-the-indigenization-of-knowledge-2/
- Understanding the Impacts of Arctic Climate Change Through the Lens of Political Ecology (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.927 - Community-based adaptation research in the Canadian Arctic (2015)
https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.376 - Links to other modules: e.g., Lyla Mehta; Andrai Polejack; Yamina Saheb
Questions for Students
Read the letter to the NNA from the Kawerak Social Science Program and partners: Navigating the New Arctic Comment Letter.
What were their main concerns? Why do you think they highlighted these topics?
What were the main objections to the NNA research processes? Comment on the advantages and possible disadvantages of the alternative processes they recommended.
Critical Thinking
In what ways does inequality, racism and colonialism manifest in the context of climate science and Alaskan Indigenous peoples?
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Topic Five: Othering and ‘At Risk’ People
Time: 00:46:38 – 00:48:10
00:51:31 – 00:52:35
00:51:31 – 00:52:35
Contextual Reading
- Between improvement and ‘sacrifice’: Othering and the (bio)political ecology of climate change
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2021.102512 - See The Kawerak Social Science Program website:
https://kawerak.org/knowledge-sovereignty-and-the-indigenization-of-knowledge-2/
Questions for Students
What is meant by ‘othering’ in the context of climate change impacts? Can you identify examples of ‘othering’ in different contexts, including your own? What are the implications of describing groups as ‘At Risk’ people?
Return to the letter sent by Kawerak partners to the NNA. What do you think were the most critical failures of the NNA? How could these have been avoided?
What were the main objections to the NNA research processes (e.g., RFPs)? Comment on the advantages and possible disadvantages of the alternative processes they recommended.
Critical Thinking
Do you agree with the contention that ‘othering’ helps to preserve existing relations of racial, patriarchal and class domination in the face of climate-induced social upheavals? Explain why.
Further Reading: Examples of Good Practice in Co-Production
- https://sites.google.com/view/tektalks/home
This is an excellent website that includes links to other resources such as: the definition and meaning of Indigenous knowledge; and principles for respectful co-production, etc. The ideas and discussions found here are of global relevance. - Broadening the discussion around Positionality: ‘Expanding the interpretive power of psychological science by attending to culture’
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1803526115
Highly recommended. - ‘Factors in and Perspectives of Achieving Co-Production of Knowledge With Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ by Margaret Rudolf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023CSJ000074
Important resource for understanding CPK research paradigms. - A seminal CPK paper for work with Alaska Native communities: ‘Ellam yua’
https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol27/iss1/art34/
Includes a YouTube video explaining the CPK process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w5_jKeJo2w - Boundary spanning: ‘As working across the mainstream science and community boundary is increasingly codified…’
https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol28/iss1/art41/
Told through story—highly accessible and insightful. - Triple Loop Learning: ‘Understanding Our Environment Requires an Indigenous Worldview’
https://eos.org/opinions/understanding-our-environment-requires-an-indigenous-worldview - Decolonial research: ‘Decolonization is not a metaphor’ (2012)
https://nau.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/84/
Key concepts include ‘Research as a colonial act’ and ‘at risk’ people. - Book recommendation: Indigenous Critical Reflections on Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Includes a chapter by webinar presenter Margaret Rudolf.
https://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/indigenous-critical-reflections-on-traditional-ecological-knowledge - See also:
https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/3156/4354
Example of co-production in health research. - Co-production of knowledge in the Arctic: bridging Indigenous and scientific perspectives
https://arctic-council.org/news/co-production-of-knowledge-in-the-arctic-bridging-indigenous-and-scientific-perspectives/
Module 3: Nagbabago ang ihip ng hangin (The Wind Changes Direction): Colonialism and Climate – A View from the Philippines
Welcome to Module Three !!!
This module begins with the personal experience of a person in which we will see how issues of climate change are connected to the
politics, power and development. Highlighting the tensions between the global north and global South the module unpacks The
concept of dependency theory and explores the domains of ecological debt With reference to climate science. Zooming into
Galtung’s Triangle of Violence, the module Further explores how dependency theory creates cultural disturbances in the local
communities and poses a question whether sustainable development is desirable as it is understood in the modern development
pattern. The module also invites the readers to deconstruct the binaries in order to reconstruct capacities for peace by understanding
our identities and taking ownership of our land and resources with reference to the indigenous knowledge and practices. The module
also makes an appeal to the communities to find ways of protecting the climate by promoting the values an indigenous practices at
the local region.
Broad Learning Outcomes
At the end of module, you should be able to demonstrate:Knowledge and Understanding
Describe the key aspects and inadequacies of dependency theory and Galtung’s triangle of violence; explain the mainstream (Western) understandings of sustainability and sustainable economic growth; articulate binary oppositions as manifested in, for example, speciesism, sexism, nationalism, racism, colonialism, and the dichotomy of science versus the sacred; explain the matrix of science and the sacred.
Application
Apply Dependency theory and Galtung’s triangle of violence to local (to students’ context) and the Filipino experiences of colonialism. Articulate how binary oppositions are expressed in personal experience and local culture.
Analysis/Creativity
Demonstrate connections between the colonial experience of the Philippines, mainstream ideas of sustainability and sustainable development, and Galtung’s triangle of violence. Articulate and evaluate commonalities and differences between ways of knowing: scientific and sacred/cultural.
Synthesis/Creativity
Describe, through discussions, group work, and other exercises, ways that science and the sacred might find common ground so as to usefully direct climate action and economic development with a focus on the local region.
Contents
The main contents of this module is embedded in the video presentations by the experts. This video is here.Timeline of the Video and the Contents Included
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Topic One: Challenges of Climate Science
Timeline: 37:12 – 40:10
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
Questions for Students
Have you also experienced confusion or conflict among the teachings of the different courses you have had to take in formal education?
Critical Thinking
Note to Educators: Discuss siloed thinking in education; lack of holistic curricula, and how that has affected teachers and students.
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Topic Two: Dependency Theory
Timeline: 40:10 – 43:30
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Galtung, J. (1971). A structural theory of imperialism. Journal of Peace Research, 8(2), 81–117.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/422946 - Enloe, C. (2014). Bananas, beaches and bases: Making feminist sense of international politics. University of California Press. (Reprint)
- Oyetunde, O. S. (2022). Is Dependency Theory Relevant in the Twenty-First Century? E-International Relations.
https://www.e-ir.info/2022/08/17/is-dependency-theory-relevant-in-the-twenty-first-century/
Questions for Students
Explain the Dependency Theory.
Define core and periphery. How does this theory describe the relationship between them?
How is this theory related to climate justice?
What does “ecological debt” refer to?
What does the term “neocolonial” or “neocolonialism” refer to?
Critical Thinking
Do you still see the Dependency Theory at play in current events? Is it still relevant for gaining insight into current dynamics between stakeholders? Who are involved? Can the imperialism described by Galtung be found in different scales across time and space?
How do the dynamics described by Galtung affect how climate education and action is understood, developed and implemented? Can you give examples?
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Topic Three: Galtung’s Triangle of Violence
Timeline: 43:40 – 48:55
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Galtung, J. (1971). A structural theory of imperialism. Journal of Peace Research, 8(2), 81–117.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/422946 - Galtung, J. (1990). Cultural violence. Journal of Peace Research, 27(3), 291–305.
- Cross-reference: Lyla Mehta on sustainability, Section 18:07 – 19:55
The colonial roots of the concept of sustainability
Questions for Students
Describe the vertices of Galtung’s Triangle of Violence and how they relate to each other.
Give some examples of "binaries" and the forms of cultural violence they underpin.
Critical Thinking
Can you give examples of how cultural violence can legitimize direct and structural violence in the context of climate research, education or action?
Critique the concept of “sustainability” (potentially also drawing from Lyla Mehta’s talk):
Is “sustainable economic growth” a form of cultural violence? Is “sustainability” or “sustainable development” still desirable? Do we need to rethink our concept of sustainability? How can it be more aligned with an anti-colonial approach to climate action? Are there alternative paradigms?
Is “sustainable economic growth” a form of cultural violence? Is “sustainability” or “sustainable development” still desirable? Do we need to rethink our concept of sustainability? How can it be more aligned with an anti-colonial approach to climate action? Are there alternative paradigms?
How do questions of identity and culture manifest in the process of transformation towards climate resilience?
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Topic Four: How to address all the violence?
Timeline: 48:55 – 51:24
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Galtung, J. (1998). After Violence: 3R, Reconstruction, Reconciliation, Resolution. Coping With Visible and Invisible Effects of War and Violence. Princeton, NJ: TRANSCEND.
- Gandhi, M. (1968). The Voice of Truth.
https://www.mkgandhi.org/voiceoftruth/voiceoftruth.php - Shiva, V., & Mies, M. (2014). Ecofeminism. Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Standish, K. (2014). Cultural Nonviolence as Praxis: exploring the other side of Galtung’s Violence Triangle. Global Journal of Peace Research and Praxis, 1(1), 46–54.
Questions for Students
Name and describe the 2 axioms put forth by Gandhi that operate on a logic of closeness and offer a guide for addressing violence.
Who is Vandana Shiva? What work is she known for?
Critical Thinking
Both Gandhi and V. Shiva were trained in the West but draw from and embrace the cultures they were rooted in. How can we deconstruct binaries (i.e. of “them” vs. “us”) and instead move towards reconstructing our capacities for inclusivity and peace? (related to previous section)
How can cultural nonviolence help with crafting just and equitable climate transitions?
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Topic Five: What is “colonial” vs. what is “Filipino”?
Timeline: 51:24 – 54:50
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Ileto, R. C. (1979). Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840–1910. Ateneo de Manila University Press.
- Philippines: Indigenous Knowledge Takes on Climate Crisis
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1140337 - Cross-reference: Mercer and Simpson on colonial legacies, Section 1:12:51 – 1:23:06,
Summary: Five themes on Climate Science, Colonialism and Empire
Questions for Students
Describe Raymond Ileto's take on colonialism as explained by Nikki Carsi Cruz.
Critical Thinking
How can an understanding of our colonial history influence the crafting of climate action and transitions that are culturally-grounded?
How are cultures molded and melded throughout time? Are there processes by which colonial influences can be transformed and appropriated into native paradigms? Can you give examples particularly in terms of lifestyle and education? What are advantages and disadvantages of this phenomenon?
Compare/contrast the ideas presented here by Nikki Carsi Cruz against the ‘colonial legacies’ described in the talk by Mercer and Simpson.
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Topic Six: Tensions between the Science and the Sacred
Timeline: 54:51 – 59:30
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home.
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/uk/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html - Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum: To All People of Good Will on the Climate Crisis.
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html - Kealiikanakaoleohaililani, K., & Giardina, C. P. (2016). Embracing the sacred: an indigenous framework for tomorrow’s sustainability science. Sustainability Science, 11, 57–67.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-015-0343-3 - Virtanen, P. K., Siragusa, L., & Guttorm, H. (2020). Introduction: Toward more inclusive definitions of sustainability. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 43, 77–82.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343520300300
Questions for Students
What is the name of Pope Francis' encyclical on The Care for Our Common Home? What does this document contain?
Reconstruct and explain the matrix of tensions between the science and the sacred.
Critical Thinking
What does ecological conversion mean in terms of cultural transformation?
Reflect on your personal relationship with nature. Do you feel the tensions between science and the sacred in your life? If so, how?
(Connecting to the previous sections) Do we need to rethink our concept of sustainability? Are there alternative paradigms? What sectoral transformations would be crucial (e.g. in industry, government, etc.)? How can these transformations be catalyzed?
Do these tensions between the sacred and the science manifest in other issues?
Is there necessarily tension or can we develop a framework or paradigm of alignment?
Module 4: Addressing (post)-colonial and Western biases in climate science: examples from South Asia
Welcome to Module Four !!!
This module presents some of the critical colonial issues related to sustainability and climate sciences. The module begins with the
discussion of how coloniality can be addressed in sustainability and climate science. The module also discusses different kinds of
uncertainty at different skills and the issues with the term uncertainty with respect to marginalized people. Looking at the different
examples Around the world of dispossession of indigenous land including for sustainable or green energy projects, you will develop
the ability to analyze how insights from indigenous and local communities are essential for successful climate adaptation. The
module will also enable the students to compare colonial approaches to land and sustainability with local understandings and
experiences based on the examples presented in this module.
Broad Learning Outcomes
At the end of module, you should be able to demonstrate:Knowledge and Understanding
Explain the colonial roots of the concept of sustainability and how this continues to manifest in research and policy. Describe, with examples, dispossession of Indigenous land, including for green energy projects. Explain the different kinds of uncertainty at different scales, and the issues with the term ‘uncertainty’ with respect to marginalized peoples. Explain the term co-production of knowledge.
Application
Drawing on examples in this module, identify different examples around the world of dispossession of Indigenous lands, including for sustainable or green energy projects.
Analysis/Creativity
Demonstrate the ability to analyse how insights from Indigenous and local communities are essential for successful climate adaptation, drawing on a range of different contexts, including those familiar to the student. Compare colonial approaches to land and sustainability with local understandings and experiences, based on examples in this module.
Contents
The main contents of this module is embedded in the video presentations by the experts. This video is here.Timeline of the Video and the Contents Included
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Topic One: The colonial roots of the concept of sustainability and climate science
Timeline: 17:10 – 19:55
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Arora, S. and Stirling, A., 2023. Colonial modernity and sustainability transitions: A conceptualisation in six dimensions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 48, p.100733.
- Mercer and Simpson Talk
Questions for Students
When and why was the concept of sustainability first coined?
How does the speaker define sustainability and its 3 pillars?
Make a list of the other kinds of colonialism that the speaker describes, other than the control and exploitation of one group of people over another.
Critical Thinking
Reflect on global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How have colonial processes shaped these goals? How might the implementation of these goals perpetuate patterns of privilege and power?
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Topic Two: Dispossession of land in the name of sustainability
Timeline: 19:55 – 20:52
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Domínguez, L. and Luoma, C., 2020. Decolonising conservation policy: How colonial land and conservation ideologies persist and perpetuate indigenous injustices at the expense of the environment. Land, 9(3), p.65.
- Ohte, N., Yamamoto, K., Jha, R., Srivastava, S., Joshi, P., Bhanani, M., Chatterjee, R., Nasahara, K.N. and Mehta, L., 2025. Validation of traditional pastoralist practices based on ecological observations of a camel herding community and coastal mangrove forests of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Community Science, 4(1), p.e2024CSJ000095.
Questions for Students
Think about your place of birth. How has colonization shaped practices and processes on this land?
Provide examples of climate-related interventions that contribute to dispossession of land.
Critical Thinking
Describe the tensions between global objectives and agendas associated with sustainability and climate change and local, lived realities.
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Topic Three: Climate change uncertainty
Timeline: 21:00 – 24:45
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Mehta, L., Adam, H.N. and Srivastava, S., 2019. Unpacking uncertainty and climate change from ‘above’ and ‘below’. Regional Environmental Change, 19, pp.1529–1532.
- Heymann, M., 2019. The climate change dilemma: big science, the globalizing of climate and the loss of the human scale. Regional Environmental Change, 19(6), pp.1549–1560.
Questions for Students
What types of uncertainty are considered in climate science?
How does uncertainty influence your daily and/or weekly life? Can you provide some examples, including how you navigate this uncertainty?
Critical Thinking
What aspects/features are considered to be uncertain in climate science? How has colonisation/coloniality influenced these aspects/features?
Reflect on some of the issues that might arise when trying to bring different actors and ideas of uncertainty (as explained in the heuristic) together.
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Topic Four: Addressing (post)-colonial and Western biases in climate science
Timeline: 24:54 – 29:05
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Nightingale, A.J., Eriksen, S., Taylor, M., Forsyth, T., Pelling, M., Newsham, A., Boyd, E., Brown, K., Harvey, B., Jones, L. and Bezner Kerr, R., 2020. Beyond technical fixes: Climate solutions and the great derangement. Climate and Development, 12(4), pp.343–352.
- Margaret Rudolf talk – co-production
Questions for Students
List some methods that can be used to decolonise sustainability and climate science work.
Critical Thinking
What principles (and why?) should be included in a ‘human-centred’ climate science?
Module 5: Coloniality in Science Diplomacy - Evidence from the Atlantic Ocean
Welcome to Module Five !!!
Module 5 presents the concept of coloniality and its connection to power through various examples. The module also elaborates the
connections between Atlantic colonialism racism and enduring legacies of Atlantic colonialism in contemporary society. Participants
will be encouraged to analyze ways in which the coloniality of power persists in climate science and climate diplomacy. The module
will also equip the students to articulate the positions of different sites in debates arising from issues raised in the module.
Broad Learning Outcomes
At the end of module, you should be able to demonstrate:Knowledge and Understanding
Explain with a range of examples a) the concept of coloniality and b) the concepts of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ power.
Application
Demonstrate the ability to make connections between Atlantic colonialism, racism, and enduring legacies of Atlantic colonialism in contemporary society.
Analysis/Creativity
Demonstrate the ability to analyse ways in which ‘the coloniality of power’ persists in climate science and climate diplomacy.
Synthesis/Creativity
Articulate the positions of different sides in debates arising from issues raised in this module. For example: “‘Delinking’ from Western epistemologies is possible and desirable.”
Contents
The main contents of this module is embedded in the video presentations by the experts. This video is here.Timeline of the Video and the Contents Included
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Topic One: Colonialism vs Coloniality – Atlantic Colonialism
Timeline: 01:00:00
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Bhambra, G. K. (2014). Postcolonial and decolonial dialogues. Postcolonial Studies, 17(2), 115–121.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13688790.2014.966414 - Other papers cited in this article may also be useful in thinking about the issues raised in this module.
Questions for Students
How does the speaker distinguish between ‘colonialism’ and ‘coloniality’? Can you describe an example of ‘coloniality’, perhaps drawing on observations in the world around you?
According to the speaker, what was Atlantic Colonialism?
Critical Thinking
Read Bhambra’s paper. In what way is post-colonial theory more than ‘an attempt to interrupt the Western discourses of modernity’? Do any of the points made in this paper change the way you look at the world? What are these and why?
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Topic Two: Science and Christianity
Timeline: 01:30:02 – 01:30:51
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- See also Module 3, the talk by Nikki Carsi Cruz
Questions for Students
How did science and Christianity become intertwined through Atlantic colonialism?
Critical Thinking
How were science and Christianity used together as weapons of colonization? What were the consequences?
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Topic Three: Coloniality of Power
Timeline: 01:30:58 – 01:33:30
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Quijano, A. (2007). Coloniality and modernity/rationality. Cultural Studies, 21(2–3), 168–178.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09502380601164353 - For another perspective, see Zembylas, M. (2025). Decolonial pathways in education: Walter Mignolo, epistemic delinking, and the risks of ethno-essentialism. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 1–15.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2025.2459110
Questions for Students
What do you understand by the phrase ‘Coloniality of Power’? Can you think of examples that relate to international negotiations around climate change (e.g., UNFCCC/COP)?
Critical Thinking
Discuss the influence of coloniality in the contemporary world.
Identify and discuss any three criticisms of Mignolo’s decolonial framework.
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Topic Four: Parachute Science
Timeline: 01:33:30 – 01:34:38
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Discuss what steps you could take if you had the opportunity to contribute to a major international research project but had doubts about the foreign leadership’s research ethics (e.g., disregard for principles of project co-development and co-production).
Questions for Students
What is the meaning of ‘parachute science’? Why does this undermine local contributions to our understanding of the world?
Critical Thinking
Summarize the impact of coloniality on ocean science and policy. Discuss how the inequities described in this talk might be addressed for ocean science research, paying attention to authorship, parachute science, resources, and research leadership.
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Topic Five: Consequences of Coloniality
Timeline: 01:34:39 – 01:36:22
Questions for Students
How does coloniality continue to influence the science of oceanography? What are the consequences?
Critical Thinking
Are you aware of any examples of coloniality in your own area of research? Discuss with your peers how you might address this.
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Topic Six: Science Diplomacy & Coloniality in Science Diplomacy
Timeline: 01:36:30 – 01:42:13
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Quijano, A. (2007). Coloniality and modernity/rationality. Cultural Studies, 21(2–3), 168–178.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09502380601164353 - For another perspective, see Zembylas, M. (2025). Decolonial pathways in education: Walter Mignolo, epistemic delinking, and the risks of ethno-essentialism. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 1–15.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2025.2459110
Questions for Students
Explain the difference between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ power. Do you agree that science is a soft form of power? Give examples from this talk.
Critical Thinking
Discuss the origins of the political use of science. You may find the Quijano and Mignolo references useful in your answer.
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Topic Seven: Unequal Science
Timeline: 01:42:42 – 01:44:07
Contextual Reading / Cross-References
- Can science be made less unequal? What would need to change for this to happen? Cite examples from your own field of study.
Questions for Students
What are some of the consequences of unequal science? What are some of the reasons for this inequality?
Course Completion Quiz
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