Abstract:

Traditional Knowledge Initiative and the UNESCO, the book "Weathering Uncertainty: traditional knowledge for climate change assessment and adaptation" was launched at the International Council for Science's Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, held in parallel to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). The book draws attention to a rapidly-growing scientific literature on the contribution of indigenous and traditional knowledge to understanding climate change vulnerability, resilience and adaptation. It aims at strengthening consideration of indigenous knowledge in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to be released in 2014. In its Fourth Assessment Report, IPCC recognized traditional knowledge as "an invaluable basis for developing adaptation and natural resource management strategies in response to environmental and other forms of change". Despite this recognition, indigenous knowledge has remained largely outside the scope of IPCC assessments.