Epistemological Bridges in the Climate Change Debate: Responding with Biocultural Assessments for Environmental Justice

The existence and impacts of climate change remains controversial in the political arena of the United States despite the nation being the second significant contributor of global emissions and highest contributor per capita in the world. This paper explores the trend of “climate change denial” within groups that doubt climate change and contrasts this perspective to those who are experiencing climate change in the most extreme by highlighting the Indigenous Peoples’ Biocultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative (IPCCA).  The IPCCA toolkit identifies epistemological bridges to communicate the impacts of climate change and loss for indigenous communities, including: Self determination, Climate Justice, Food Sovereignty, Endogenous Development, Adaptation, Mitigation and Buen Vivir. This paper argues that the biocultural assessment methodology which focuses on the relationship between communities and their environment may aid individuals who otherwise deny or ignore climate change to become aware of their role in bringing about this imposing reality.