This week has seen a series of extreme weather events across the globe, including a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean, major rainstorms causing flooding and landslides in Europe, and a heatwave on the West Coast of the United States. These events are notable for their intensity and early occurrence in the disaster season, and scientists attribute them to the worsening effects of climate change.
The Atlantic Ocean, which serves as the engine for hurricanes, has been unusually warm due to increased heat absorption in the past year. This has made it possible for major hurricanes like Beryl to form earlier than usual. Climate scientists predict that this year’s hurricane season will be unprecedented, with more people likely to experience extreme weather conditions and climate disasters in the coming months.
In response to these challenges, Indigenous communities are leading the way in climate adaptations. Indigenous knowledge, which is evolving and not static, is proving to be crucial in managing lands and communities that have already survived severe climate events. A new Vox Climate project, Changing With Our Climate, will explore Indigenous solutions to extreme weather rooted in history and the future.
The first story in the series focuses on Alaska Natives responding to extreme heat in a place that is warming drastically faster than the rest of the world. The Kuskokwim River, the heart of the community in Bethel, Alaska, is becoming increasingly dangerous due to shifting, extending, and unpredictable shoulder seasons. Declining salmon populations, a crucial food source for Alaska Natives, are a major concern.
In response to these challenges, Indigenous people in the region are shifting their norms, using dip nets to target sockeye salmon, a less traditionally popular but increasingly viable alternative. These local adaptations, while small, are crucial for communities to thrive in a warming world. Solutions like planting trees in urban heat islands or hiring more lifeguards for public pools could have a similar impact.
These stories aim to highlight the humility and resilience of Indigenous people, who understand that they cannot bend the world to their will but are better off when they tune in and lean into changes when possible. The series will not mythologize Indigenous communities with unapproachable or mystic traditional practices and solutions. Instead, it will underscore the importance of humility as a throughline in Indigenous life.
