Indigenous wisdom offers time-tested solutions to climate crisis through ancient principles of earth stewardship

A new global commentary series is amplifying Indigenous voices who argue that the world’s most pressing environmental solutions don’t lie in carbon markets or experimental technologies, but in ancient wisdom that has sustained communities for millennia. “Voices from the Land” features Indigenous writers from around the world sharing their perspectives on environmental destruction, climate justice, and humanity’s relationship with nature.

While governments and corporations pursue complex technological fixes and carbon credit schemes, Indigenous communities point to a quieter truth: many have been practicing true sustainability for thousands of years, long before the term entered mainstream vocabulary. Their traditional knowledge systems are built not on ownership and extraction, but on kinship and reciprocal care for the Earth.

In Samoa, this philosophy is embodied in the concept of “vā” – the sacred space between all things. Unlike Western interpretations that view space as separation, vā represents the invisible connections linking people, land, ocean, ancestors, and future generations. Samoans practice “teu le vā,” the responsibility to carefully tend these relationships like a living pulse that requires constant nurturing.

The commentary series emerges as Indigenous communities worldwide face disproportionate impacts from climate change while simultaneously being recognized as the most effective guardians of biodiversity. These voices from the frontlines offer both urgent warnings about environmental destruction and time-tested solutions rooted in principles of balance, respect, and reciprocity with the natural world. Their message is clear: healing the planet begins with healing our fundamental relationship with the Earth and each other.