A Scoping Review: Centering Women, Queer Communities, and Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Knowledge and Praxis

Background: The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and the “vulnerability of ecosystems and people to climate change differs substantially among and within regions, driven by patterns of intersecting socio-economic development, unsustainable ocean and land use, inequity, marginalization, historical and ongoing patterns of inequity such as colonialism, and governance” (Pörtner et al., 2022, p. 14). Responding equitably to climate change justice requires that we examine the inequitable ways women, indigenous, and queer populations have been presented in climate change research. In this study, we use critical perspectives of critical ecofeminism, queer ecology, critical Indigenous feminism, and postcolonial feminism that amplify the agency of women, queer communities, and indigenous peoples in conducting a scoping review on their struggles and challenges and the ways they have curated their knowledge and praxis within their ecological environment.

Methods: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. This review focused on studies from the last two decades, beginning in 1995 with the Beijing conference’s agreement on documenting gender inequalities and environmental sustainability, to 2022. We used the following key words “women” or “woman,” “queer” “indigenous” “climate change” “environment” “environmental” “justice” “impact” “conservation” “ecology” with inclusion criteria of peer-reviewed articles, quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and systematic reviews. Articles were excluded if they were from the grey literature such as dissertations, books, and conceptual papers. We used several search engines including, Google scholar, PubMed, selected EBSCO, ProQuest, Medline, CINAHL, AMED, ASSIA, IBSS and ISI Web of Knowledge were explored. The research team extracted data individually, differences in data extraction were managed through discussion or data extraction by a third team member to end the disagreement.

Results: The preliminary search resulted in 1,960 articles of which 680 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Final review resulted in n=24 articles for the study. There were categories of research on activism and social movements, local conservation projects, struggles over livelihoods, concerns for health and mental health, and collective identity among others. Studies were represented from various global north and the global south nations.

Conclusion: Women, queer communities, and Indigenous peoples are at increased risk to climate change mainly stemming from social, economic, political, and cultural factors, but they are not silent observers. They are at the forefront of local communities using their knowledge and leadership in addressing climate change. We are at a critical juncture of environmental change, honoring and listening to the collective voices of indigenous, women, and queer peoples’ knowledge that promote a sustainable earth system. Moreover, the International Federation of Social Work (IFSW) (2022) calls on social workers in advancing a new eco-social world to transform the concept of prosperity from globalized economies of exploitation and degradation to economies of inclusiveness and fairness for the sustainability of our planet and people. Co-developing scientific knowledge by taking direction from women, queer communities, and Indigenous peoples who have been stewarding nature for sustainability purposes since time immemorial, can create bottom-up approaches to sustainable climate change adaptation and mitigation.