Indigenous Peoples and Climate Risk Adaptation (PEOPLE)
The PEOPLE project is funded by the University of Franche-Comté as part of the Chrysalide Starter call for projects. It is interested in the climate risk culture of indigenous communities and aims to encourage their participation in decision-making during the development of adaptation policies. This prerequisite requires their close association with the application of technical measures generally decided by non-local authorities and the recognition of their right to use their traditional knowledge to manage their environments in a sustainable way. To do this, it takes into account two case studies located respectively in the Inuit communities of Ausuittuq (Canadian Arctic, Nunavut) and the Amerindian Kali’nas of Awala Yalimapo (extreme northwest of French Guyana).
The project stems from the experience acquired over a decade by the coordinator in the context of expertise and studies conducted for the UNDRR – United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the CERIS – Community for European Research and Innovation for Security. It also takes full advantage of the CNRS International Research Network (IRN) RISCDIS supported by the Chrono-Environnement, an interdisciplinary scientific network which associates for 5 years a panel of recognized international researchers (Harvard, MIT, Kyoto, Rimouski, Sendai) around the theme disasters.
The approach concerning adaptation will be based on a reminder of the historicity of the risk and will aim to explain scientifically, but in an understandable way, the origin and mechanisms of disasters because it is important that the understanding of the risks be shared by the inhabitants if we want to encourage them to accept a real participatory approach capable of strengthening their resilience.
Secondly, we will encourage local communities to think about their adaptation, both in terms of preparation, prevention and management of the post-disaster situation (memorialization, compensation, redevelopment, etc.). The process will take the form of open Forums inviting residents to share their experience.
The team involved in the project is deliberately interdisciplinary and international and its composition is the result of proven collaborations over several years. It is thus made up of historians, geographers, anthropologists and risk sociologists and climatologists.
RISCDIS partners involved in the projet:
Emmanuel Garnier (CNRS, UMR Chrono-Environnement, coordinator)
Florence Lahournat (DPRI, Kyoto University)
David Didier (Université de Québec à Rimouski)
Sylvie Damy (UFC, UMR Chrono-Environnement)
