Indigenous communities who live close to and understand their ecosystems have seen the effects of climate change for decades. Scholars, artists, poets, writers, and more have been speaking to these impacts through art, media, and academic publications. This panel will highlight the various ways Indigenous artists are producing knowledge and influencing cultural shifts around climate change and environmentalism around the world.

Charitie Ropati - Advocate for Indigenous Students' Education
Charitie Ropati, a member of the Native Village of Kongiganak, is an advocate for Indigenous students’ education. She works to decolonize Western pedagogies in public education and address the dropout and graduation crisis of Indigenous students through Native-centric curricula. She attends Columbia University and was named a 2019 Center for Native American Youth Champion for Change. She is a research intern at the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Lab and the treasurer of Columbia University's Native American Council.

Darcy Peter - Research Assistant at Woodwell Climate Research Center
Darcy Peter supports the Woodwell Climate Research Center's Polaris Project. Her research primarily focuses on greenhouse gas emissions, permafrost thaw, and Arctic ecology. She is Gwich’in Athabascan from Beaver, Alaska, and grew up living a subsistence way of life: fishing, hunting, and trapping in Beaver. She received her B.S. from Fort Lewis College. Following her graduation in 2017, Peter worked for Alaska Native non-profits, in environmental science, policy, and social science. She has a broad understanding of Arctic policy, including tribe, city, corporate, state, academic, federal, non-profit, etc.

Alex Flaherty - Founder and Owner of Polar Outfitting
Alex Flaherty was raised in Grise Fiord, Nunavut. Alex, who grew up hunting and camping with his father and extended family, developed a passion for the outdoors at a young age. Following graduation from Arctic College’s Environmental Technology Program in 2008, Alex began a career in environmental conservation and sustainability. For almost a decade, he worked for the Government of Nunavut’s Division of Fisheries and Sealing, teaching Nunavummiut the land-based skills needed to hunt and fish in the Arctic. In 2017, Alex started Polar Outfitting, a company with 100% Inuit staff that provides Inuit and non-Inuit alike the opportunity to experience Canada’s Arctic through the lens of traditional Inuit knowledge. In 2019, Polar Outfitting was named the Top Aboriginal Business of the Year at the Arctic Indigenous Investment Conference and represented Nunavut at the New York Times Travel Show. ​

Seqininnguaq Poulsen - Indigenous Rights Activist and Artist
Seqininnguaq Poulsen (they/them) is a 19-year-old Indigenous rights activist and artist. Their work focuses on decolonization, mental health, culture revitalization and education. Their past work includes collaborations with Inuit Circumpolar Council, UN Youth Envoy, Twitter, Global Indigenous Youth Caucus and others. Seqininnguaq is very passionate about their culture as an Indigenous Inuk from Greenland and enjoys spending their free-time on practicing their Indigenous culture.

Liz Contreras - Ed.M Candidate, Harvard's Graduate School of Education
Liz is a graduate student at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. She is completing her Ed.M degree in the Human Development & Education Program.

Healing Turtle Island: Indigenous Leadership Through the Climate Crisis

Discussions of innovative approaches to the climate crisis held at Harvard Kennedy School rarely feature Indigenous approaches, and even fewer center Indigenous perspectives as the primary goal.

To that end, the Native and Indigenous Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School, in partnership with the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative, held a day-long hybrid convening to highlight Indigenous leadership in addressing the climate crisis. The event brings together Indigenous leaders from across the globe to discuss the following:

How has the climate crisis uniquely affected Indigenous communities?

In what ways does an "Indigenous" approach to the climate crisis differ from non-Indigenous approaches? How does this differ across regions and communities?

What are examples of impactful activism by Indigenous writers, activists, government leaders, and youth? What can students and the broader HKS community learn from these examples?

Perspectives from the Arctic will be specifically featured in acknowledgment of the fact that Arctic Indigenous voices are often marginalized in broader climate conversations despite the crisis' disproportionate impact on Arctic communities. The event highlights Arctic communities' extensive resistance knowledge and long-running efforts spanning decades.

For more information: https://www.belfercenter.org/event/he...