A review on traditional knowledge: a sustainable solution for the climate crisis

Abstract

Nature-based solutions are crucial to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Traditional knowledge is a credible resource based on nature-based solutions through understanding and predicting environmental and climatic changes by direct observation, practices, and information passed over generations verbally. The local and indigenous people’s lifestyle is to survive with nature without disturbing the balance of ecosystem services. This chapter aimed to explore the role of traditional knowledge as a sustainable solution for predicting, mitigating, and adapting to climate change, as it was recently recognized and started to be incorporated into international climate agreements. This chapter reviewed 63 research papers collected from Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for examining traditional knowledge across different cultures and regions. Indigenous and local communities use various indicators to forecast the weather. These traditional indicators denoted the indication of weather events to develop their adaptive responses against changes and variations in climate. Types of local indicators were related to vegetation, animals, insects, birds, astronomy, and atmosphere. Conventional climate projection and adaptive measures play a crucial role in developing nations with limitations in modern technology. Documentation and records of such prediction methods and adaptation mechanisms are still lacking globally. A lack of documentation records, modernization, and conflict with Western science hinders traditional knowledge. Integrating this old-aged knowledge into modern practices can help develop climate-smart agriculture and sustainable natural resource management, and biodiversity conservation to overcome impacts and design appropriate adaptation strategies by scaling up from the local level. Therefore, this chapter provides in-depth insights into how traditional knowledge can tackle climate change.