Indigenuity: How to Reframe Our Relationship With Climate Change | Janna Wale | TEDxSurrey
Janna Wale, an Indigenous climate scientist from the Gitxsan Nation, explores the deep connection between climate change and our relationship with the Earth. Drawing from personal experiences harvesting salmon and witnessing environmental shifts, she highlights how Indigenous teachings emphasize balance, respect, and reciprocity with nature. Janna explains how the planet’s current "unhappiness" stems from humanity’s one-sided, exploitative relationship with the environment, fueled by a pursuit of profit over sustainability. Through captivating storytelling, she illustrates how nature's intricate cycles depend on care and respect, offering a hopeful path forward. Viewers will learn how restoring our connection to the land, inspired by Indigenous wisdom, can help address the climate crisis and heal the Earth and ourselves. Janna is a Gitxsan from Gitanmaax First Nation and Cree-Métis on her mother’s side. She is an award-winning climate researcher who uses a complex human-environmental systems approach to Indigenous and Western sciences.In her work, she noticed that many mainstream climate solutions focus on trying to ‘technology our way’ out of the problem. While this plays a role, Janna believes the key to addressing climate change today should include more holistic solutions. Indigenous knowledge systems have been shaped by thousands of years of living sustainably on these lands and can play a big part in helping to restore the balance we need with the Land. Janna wants us to feel empowered, hopeful, and optimistic about the future. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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