Dr. Lea Berrang Ford, Dr. Alejandro Llanos, and the IHACC Team Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Dr. Lea Berrang Ford, Dr. Alejandro Llanos, and the IHACC Team

BACKGROUND Research and scientific consensus confirms that vulnerable and marginalized populations will be disproportionately affected by CC Despite high vulnerabilities, Indigenous populations have been largely ignored in climate change research and policy debate The impacts of climate change will be manifest locally through environmental variability and in the context of existing socio-economic vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity Identification of adaptation entry points requires an understanding of how populations currently cope with – and respond to – climatic variability and its impacts

Program Goal To apply scientific and Indigenous Knowledge to empower remote Indigenous populations to adapt to the health effects of climate change

A vulnerability framework Current Exp & Sensitivity Current Adaptive Capacity Future Exp & Sensitivity Future Adaptive Capacity Future Climate Probabilities Future Social Probabilities Policy interventions Future Social Conditions The nature of future exposures is informed by future climate probabilities based on current exposures.

Remote indigenous communities Canadian Arctic (Inuit) Peruvian Amazon (Shipibo & Shawi) Southwest Uganda (Pygmy peoples) McGill University (Dept. Geography & Institute for Health & Social Policy) University of Cayetano (Public Health School) Makerere University (Dept. Geography & Climatic Sciences) Rationale for site selection: reflect experiences of remote indigenous populations in high, middle & low-income countries similar population size, socio-economic & health inequalities, remoteness, environmental sensitivity transitions in economy, nutrition & health erosion of IK over past decades Established partnerships in each region Vulnerability framework (‘bottom-up’ approach)

OBJECTIVES Characterize current vulnerability (empirical understanding of how remote Indigenous health systems are affected weather and climate variability). Estimate future vulnerability (how climate change will alter health risks and whether changes lie within the adaptive capacity of health systems) Implement & monitor pilot adaptation interventions Develop adaptation plans (actions that can reduce vulnerability and increase adaptability) Create adaptation leaders (within the scientific community, partner organizations, and communities) Indigenous Knowledge Bank creation

Pilot Research PhotoVoice Innovative features – new techniques for participatory engagement

HEALTH FOCI Food security Water security Vector-borne diseases

CROSS-CUTTING THEMES Children’s health & generational transitions Globalization & resource development Indigenous Health Knowledge

Training is based on needs of each region, but in all regions an Adaptation Leaders Program will be initiated. We are currently developing plans for how this will unfold regionally. In Peru, regional and local partners are particularly interested in workshops and training materials related to climate change vulnerability & adaptation. In Uganda, there is interest in training in adaptive skills (beekeeping, agriculture). In the Arctic, there is interest in the Indigenous Knowledge Bank and documentaries of IK. Graduate students will all be offered training in EcoHealth via the COPEH Canada ecosystem health training program. Grad students in many cases will train fully or partially at a partner university (co-supervision & coursework) Network of students across regions.

BIO-ETHICAL FRAMEWORK Protection of Indigenous ownership of knowledge Ethical procedures for health research Ethicist partnering with research team (K. Hyams) Development of formal bio-ethical frameworks for program research Guiding questions for development of bio-ethical framework: How can the research ensure relevance and appropriateness to community needs? What is the appropriate process for consultation and decision-making in the community? What is considered meaningful and appropriate participation? What is informed consent? How can accountability be established and monitored? How can researchers ensure data is protected after collection? Who should have access to knowledge arising from the project? What type of knowledge output is most relevant to the community?

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES Focus on Indigenous health Participatory community research using the vulnerability framework (‘bottom up’ approach) Community Adaptation Leaders & Indigenous Knowledge Banks Innovative tools for knowledge sharing & dissemination PhotoVoice New Media Program Website More later (KM&T prez) Comparative analysis (high, middle, low income populations)

PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS - highlights International (IPCC) spotlight on Indigenous vulnerability (e.g. Indigenous Adaptation Fund) E.g. Policy recommendations for access to funds from Global Environmental Facility, Copenhagen Accord Catalyze national climate & health research in Indigenous populations Peru: Cayetano Indigenous Health Research Unit Uganda: Makerere Centre of Excellence in Climate Change Research Comparative analysis (high, middle, low income populations) Generalizability & context-dependence of Indigenous vulnerability & adaptive capacity Common yet differentiated opportunities for adaptation policy Catalyze adaptive capacity within communities Training, interventions, knowledge banks

Project Management Committee: Collaborators & Regional Team leads: James Ford Alejandro Llanos Lea Berrang Ford Shuaib Llwasa Victoria Edge Didas Namanya Other Co-Applicants: Jody Heymann (McGill Inst. Health & Social Policy) Duncan Pederson (McGill Global Trauma Program) Patricia Garcia (Cayetano) Sam Okware (Ugandan National Health Research Org) Collaborators & Regional Team leads: Eduardo Gotuzzo (Cayetano) Carol Zavaleta (Cayetano) Isaac Alva (Cayetano) Lubowa Abdelrahman (Makerere) Jim Henderson (McGill) Kris Ebi (ClimAdapt, IPCC) Mark New (Oxford) CINE McGill GEC3 McGil