Keyword Community

The unique and rich knowledge of Métis people is linked to their history, homeland, and holistic experience and understanding of the environment. With intergenerational insights regarding resilience and adaptability, Métis people are sharing these teachings and thereby contributing meaningful solutions and hope in a warming world.

Métis people have a deep connection to the ecosystems within their homeland that endures. With climate change, the Métis are seeing impacts on animals, medicines, water, and extreme events that affect the health and wellness of communities. Conserving and sustaining species and territories in an era of climate change is a responsibility that is critically important to Métis citizens. From renewable projects and land-based education to Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), Métis are leading the way on climate action.

Climate change is a daunting and complex threat that can lead to distressing emotions, such as anxiety, depression, grief and hopelessness. Since climate change is a long-term threat, we must learn to cope with the potentially difficult emotions that it may cause to ensure our well-being over time. If we learn to manage these feelings, we can recognize them as signs of our compassion and connection to the world around us, and harness them as important motivators for taking action on climate change.

Dustin Thiesen’s concerns about climate change escalated into serious anxiety and depression after his son was born. “Sometimes I fall back into that depressive state,” he says, “but I always find a way to pull myself back out.” Dustin shares his story of working with these difficult emotions, moving through the dark times, and finding the motivation to be part of the solution.

With the existential threat of climate change, it’s only natural to feel overwhelming emotions of anxiety, fear, or anger. But at the same time it is critically important to find sources of hope that can allow us to imagine a better future and work towards it. In this video, author and expert Dr. Elin Kelsey explains the importance of being hopeful and offers tips on where to look for motivation in difficult times. For Kelsey, hope is a “brave political act” that requires courage and commitment in the face of uncertainty.

More and more people around the world - particularly young people and those most affected by the impacts of climate change and related crises - are struggling to stay hopeful about the uncertain and changing future.[1] Living in this era of ‘wicked problems’ is impacting people’s mental health.[2]

For many years, the community of Lubicon Cree Nation has gathered on the land for a culture camp, which brings people together to share leadership, traditional knowledge and skills like drying meat and drum and bow and arrow making. Land-based education and teachings strengthens the community’s connection to their territory, ancestors, culture, and Indigenous values in the face of a changing climate. “It’s a type of re-empowerment and reconnection to who we are as Indigenous people,” says community member Melina Laboucan-Massimo.

“With an issue like climate change, it’s all hands on deck,” says Rajan Rathnavalu, founder and president of NEWO Global Energy. Rathnavalu’s not-for-profit social enterprise is at the heart of the energy transition in Canada - providing solar energy training and installation across the Prairies - in a way that creates healthy citizens and communities. Rathnavalu’s story shows that social enterprises like NEWO are playing a critical role in societal transformation that support climate mitigation and adaptation.

Wind-swept, remote, and jaw-droppingly beautiful. These are Quebec’s Îles-de-la-Madeleine. A narrow archipelago, surrounded on all sides by the unpredictable waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence, the islands are home to just under 13,000 souls who live mainly from fishing and tourism. Like many small islands around the globe, the consequences of climate change are altering life here dramatically. Islanders are coming together to grapple with this reality and find local solutions, and are asking hard questions about the future.

Aquaculture is just one of the ways that the Magdalen Islands’ residents make a living off the sea. Lisandre Solomon of the Merinov research centre explains how climate change is jeopardizing aquaculture, affecting species like oysters and scallops. But through research and development, Merinov is helping islanders adapt and move towards a sustainable future.