295 FASB. To attend via zoom, register at
https://utah.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYvc-uspzkqEtA6qwJGEBKfVAJMU0q6o2qZ

Human–environment relationships are fundamental to environmental and energy justice, and in many contexts, Indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) is integral to such relationships. For example, Diné elders and community members identify firewood harvested from local woodlands as central to cultural and physical survival as, for Diné people, firewood offers a reliable fuel for energy embedded in local ecological systems. However, there are two acute problems: first, climate change-induced drought will diminish local sources of firewood; second, policies aimed at reducing reliance on greenhouse-gas-emitting energy sources may limit alternatives like coal often used for home use, thereby increasing firewood demand to unsustainable levels. We develop an agent-based model trained with ecological and community-generated ethnographic data to assess the future of firewood availability under varying climate, demand, and IEK scenarios. We find that IEK-based practices ensure the long-term sustainability of Indigenous firewood harvesting, even as climate change impacts increase. Results show how Indigenous ecological practices and resulting ecological legacies maintain resilient socio-environmental systems with insights form the work focusing on creating energy equity for Indigenous people and how Indigenous knowledge is integral for adapting to climate change across the southwest and beyond.

Bio: Having grown up in the dense woods of Pennsylvania, Kate has a lifelong interest in the human ecological legacies in arboreal ecosystems. Her research is focused on how social, economic, and geographic variables influence human decisions about how to participate (or not) in local ecosystems. She currently teaches students at the UU Honors College to combine the lenses of the social and natural sciences as they confront their own paths in light of our global environmental condition.