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As the Earth grows hotter, researchers call for Indigenous peoples to have voice in climate policy

Indigenous communities have long coped with uncertainties of a changing climate. Researchers suggest tapping that knowledge to help save the planet.

Native American dancers perform on the plaza in Taos, New Mexico.
Native American dancers perform on the plaza in Taos, New Mexico. The American Southwest is in the grip of a megadrought made worse by climate change. Monday is Indigenous Peoples' Day in the U.S. and researchers say the voices of Native peoples should be included in climate policy. (AN/R. Powers)

WASHINGTON (AN) — Indigenous communities have long suffered through and coped with the uncertainties of a changing climate, and now, with the Earth warming at an alarming rate, a new report calls on using their knowledge to help guide climate policy.

In native and local cultures, the survival and identities of farmers, hunters and fishers are intimately connected to shifts in rains and winds, wildfire and drought. Their experiences come into focus on Monday in the United States with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday honoring Native peoples, their culture and resilience, and the legacy and impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities.

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