350 Pacific is a youth-led grassroots network working with communities to fight climate change from the Pacific Islands and diaspora. 350 Pacific works with organizers across 18 Pacific Island nations and diaspora communities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America to highlight island countries’ vulnerabilities to climate change while showcasing the strength and resilience of their people.

They work through existing networks and challenge Western-centric development systems that harm the environment. Itinterunga Bainteit, Pacific Climate Warrior in Kiribati states how 350 Pacific promotes mobilising and scaling up efforts as a community to “ensure that all human rights and dignity of vulnerable and marginalized communities are honoured and defended”.

​

350 Pacific has an organised structure which has helped develop successful campaigns such as the Canoe blockade in October 2014. A group, supported by hundreds of Australian locals paddled out to prevent coal ships entering and leaving the Newcastle coal port. Only four of the twelve ships that due to pass through the port were able to do so. The canoes used during the blockade were built in the Pacific islands using traditional methods and were brought to Australia by cargo ship specifically for the operation.

​

In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori environmental use and management is founded on the principle of kaitiakitanga (environmental guardianship) in order to avoid unstainable resource extraction. Māori have significant relationships with their rohe moana (saltwater territory). Laws are increasingly recognising these and intend to emphasise Indigenous rights. The use of co-management strategies have been successfully implemented to bridge the gap between local Māori communities and government agencies. For example the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group co-manages the Kaipara Moana (harbour); sharing responsibilities.

​

The Orang Suku Laut, an indigenous Malay people, incorporate their ancestral culture and nature as the source of life into their daily practices. Their traditional ecological knowledge forms the base of their cultural practice, cultural belief and adaptive capacity.

For example, Orang Suku Laut observe the cultural belief Pantang Larang, a rule passed down for generations to enforce customary law. This includes a ban on cutting down trees or catching specific fish species. They also use a vernacular architectural style, adapting to storms whilst being ecologically sustainable. Additionally, Orang Suku Laut seasonally migrate locally between islands during the northern monsoon.

​

Hawai’i has undergone tumultuous land struggles as a result of the U.S. government and military, and more recently unsustainable tourism that negatively affects residents and has led to environmental degradation, high cost of living and water crisis. However co-management agreements are in place such as between the community of Hā‘ena (USA) and the Hawai’ian state government. The Hā‘ena community operates an Indigenous fishing education programme. Members of all ages learn where and how to sustainably harvest and prepare marine products.

​

The Pikialasorsuaq Commission is collaborative project undertaken between ICC Greenland and Canada in relation to the Environmental Stewardship objective in the 2014 Kitigaaryuit Declaration. It addresses the open water polynya known as Pikialasorsuaq between Greenland and Canada and has undertaken consultations with Inuit communities on both sides of Pikialasorsuaq in Nunavut and Northern Greenland. This has facilitated the incorporation of local and regional input and indigenous knowledge in order to safeguard and manage of the health of Pikialasorsuaq for future generations; specifically in relation to impacts of climate change, increased shipping, resource development, tourism and the potential of commercial fisheries.

​

Indigenous coastal communities are the most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change however they have adapted using traditional knowledge to implement sustainable practices.

​

Western society can learn and benefit from Indigenous strategies whilst also supporting these communities that are suffering the effects of climate change most severely. It’s important to recognise the source of these strategies and empower Indigenous knowledge and ways of governing marine life.