Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Climate Education: Co-producing a Somali Language Course on Climate Change
Combining Indigenous and Local Knowledge with scientific approaches strengthens climate education, as shown through a Somali-language course, while also revealing opportunities to deepen impact through more critical and action-focused content.
Abstract
This article contributes to scholarship on the role of Indigenous and Local knowledge (ILK) in climate education. It presents a case study of the co-production of a Somali language extra-curricular course on climate change. The qualitative research methods used were literature reviews, participant observation, decolonial co-production and combining ILK with scientific knowledge. The article shows that climate education is enhanced by inclusion of ILK to complement scientific content. It does so by analysing the climate course in relation to key measures of effective climate education (informing about causes and impacts in ways that are relevant to the audience; using messengers trusted by the audience; using communication channels accessible to the audience; and informing the audience about climate solutions and motivating action to realise them). The article offers suggestions for enhancing the value and impact of the course, especially in terms of adding content about the efforts of fossil fuel companies to delay climate action and about what a just transition might look like.
Keywords
- Indigenous and local knowledge; climate education; climate change; co-production; Somali language