Chapter 7. Self-Determined Responses to Climate Crisis

Land Back and Rights

It's increasingly recognized that returning lands to Indigenous stewardship (popularly called “Land Back”) and upholding Indigenous rights are essential climate solutions. Studies show that lands managed by Indigenous peoples often have better environmental outcomes, so empowering Indigenous land governance benefits everyone. In practice, this means supporting Indigenous-led conservation initiatives and respecting the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for any climate projects on Indigenous territories. FPIC ensures that projects aren’t done to Indigenous communities but with them – a non-negotiable part of self-determination. Approaches that center Indigenous land rights reinforce that taking climate action and honoring Indigenous sovereignty go hand in hand, resulting in more just and effective outcomes.

Healing Through Doing

Psychologists frequently note that taking action on an issue causing you anxiety can alleviate that anxiety. This holds true in an Indigenous context: action is medicine. When communities move from talk to implementation, from fear to solution-building, a shift happens in the collective mindset. Instead of “we are doomed,” the narrative becomes “we are doing something about this, together.” Each solar panel installed, each community garden planted, each protest march completed, each adaptation plan drafted – these are doses of hope. One community member from a flood-prone First Nation said, “After years of sandbagging every spring, we finally built our own flood berm with our own design. I sleep better every time it rains now, knowing we took our safety into our own hands.” That improved sleep is a simple but meaningful indicator of reduced anxiety through self-determined action.

Self-determined climate responses also reinforce our self-governance and cultural revitalization, which are fundamental to healing from historical trauma. Colonization undermined our ability to make decisions for ourselves. By reasserting that ability in the realm of climate and environment, we chip away at that trauma. It sends a message internally (to our people) and externally (to governments and society) that we are still here and we are capable of caring for our lands. This restoration of power is healing. Studies in Indigenous mental health often cite “mastery” or a sense of control over one’s life circumstances as a protective factor against depression and suicide. Community-level mastery – like a Nation successfully implementing a climate project – likely has similar positive effects on collective mental health. People feel, “Yes, our community can handle this. We have the tools.”

Collaboration on Our Terms

Self-determination doesn’t mean isolation; we often collaborate with allies, scientists, and governments, but the key is doing so on our terms. A good example is co-management agreements for protected areas. In recent years, there’s been a push for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) in Canada – lands managed by Indigenous nations for conservation. This sometimes involves partnerships with Parks Canada or NGOs, but with Indigenous leadership at the core. When an Indigenous community co-designs the rules of a protected area, drawing from both traditional law and conservation science, the outcome tends to respect Mother Earth in a more holistic way and uphold community needs. The process of negotiation itself, though, can be empowering: it requires the Canadian authorities to acknowledge Indigenous authority and expertise. Many who have participated in these initiatives feel that they are reclaiming stewardship roles assigned by their ancestors. It’s a far cry from the old days of being sidelined; Indigenous voices are setting the agenda. As one Cree negotiator put it, “For the first time, I felt like they were listening to us as equals about how to take care of the land.” Being heard and respected at decision-making tables is a salve for the historical wounds of being ignored or overruled.

On a more local scale, collaboration might look like youth from our community working with a non-Indigenous scientist to study something like glacier melt or wildfire behavior, but ensuring the research questions are driven by community concerns and that the findings come back to the community in an accessible way. When done right, such partnerships build capacity (our youth gain skills and knowledge) and produce tools we can use (like hazard maps or emergency plans), without disempowering the community. In fact, they can validate what our Elders have been saying all along. For example, if Elders say “that lake has been lower than it used to be,” and collaborative research confirms the dropping water levels and projects future declines, it vindicates Indigenous observation and helps galvanize support for community-led water conservation measures. It’s about braiding strengths: the braiding of traditional wisdom with modern innovation leads to creative solutions (10) that neither could achieve alone, while keeping Indigenous values at the center.

Mental Health in Our Own Hands

An important dimension of self-determined climate action is also taking charge of the mental health fallout of climate change. Rather than rely solely on outside mental health services that may not understand our worldview, communities are developing their own resources (a topic which will flow into Chapter 8). For example, some First Nations have trained community members as “Climate Grief Workshops” facilitators – essentially peer counselors who can lead talking circles about eco-anxiety and cultural loss. This is action, too: action to heal our minds. As discussed earlier, mainstream mental health services often lack cultural context, and if imposed without community control, they can even feel like a form of assimilation (3). By integrating mental health support into our existing community programs and cultural practices, we ensure that as we fight the external battles (floods, fires, industrial threats), we are also tending to our internal well-being. Communities have, for instance, added mental health check-ins to land-based activities, or ensured that an Elder or counselor is present when youth are out doing climate-related fieldwork, so that there’s always emotional support available. This is a self-determined approach to mental health resilience: we design it, we run it, and thus it resonates with our people.

A Just Transition for Indigenous Peoples

The term “Just Transition” is often used to describe moving to a green economy in a way that doesn’t leave workers behind. For Indigenous peoples, a just transition has additional layers: it’s about transitioning away from colonial extractive economies toward Indigenous-led regenerative economies. Many of our communities are saying: We want sustainable livelihoods for our people that also heal the land. This translates into projects like sustainable forestry led by First Nations, farming initiatives using Indigenous agro-ecological methods, or ecotourism ventures that educate visitors about Indigenous culture and climate change. By building such enterprises, we create hope and tangible alternatives to the status quo. It shows our youth that there is a future where they don’t have to choose between a paycheck and their values – they can work in harmony with the land. That realization is huge for mental health. A lot of climate anxiety in youth is tied to feeling trapped in an unsustainable system. Indigenous-led economic projects provide glimpses of a different system, one in which they could thrive without harming the Earth. It turns anxiety into inspiration.

The Big Picture of Self-Determination

Finally, taking action includes engaging in policy and legal arenas to assert our rights in the climate context. Indigenous nations in Canada have been pressing for stronger climate action and inclusion in national strategies. In 2019, when Canada declared a climate emergency and later released plans for net-zero emissions, Indigenous leaders insisted on being part of those conversations and ensuring that solutions do not repeat past injustices (for instance, making sure renewable energy development doesn’t trample Indigenous rights the way oil and gas did). Internationally, Indigenous delegations at UN climate conferences push for recognition of Indigenous rights and knowledge as central to combating climate change. This high-level advocacy filters down to empower the grassroots – when an Indigenous youth sees someone from their community speaking for the whole country or the world on climate, it signals: our voice matters at every level.

Taking action at the policy level also provides legal tools that underpin local actions. For example, if strong Indigenous consultation and consent requirements are in place, communities have more leverage to stop harmful projects or demand better protections. It is part of creating an environment (political and legal) where our self-determined initiatives can flourish without being undermined.

In summary, self-determined responses to climate change transform the narrative from one of loss to one of agency and continuity. They show that while we cannot control every aspect of this global crisis, we can control how we respond, and in doing so, we reclaim power that was historically taken from us. Each solar panel, each guardian patrol, each ceremony to bless a new initiative, each youth-led project – they all accumulate into a story of resilience. Communities that embrace this find not only practical benefits (safety, sustainability, economic opportunities) but also a renewal of spirit. As one report put it, Indigenous communities’ holistic responses to climate challenges offer “powerful models of resilience and adaptation” for the world, grounded in deep respect for the land (10). We are showing that it’s possible to tackle climate change while strengthening culture and health, not sacrificing them.

Next, in the final chapter, we will look at how all of these efforts are bolstered by support networks and resources. No one can do it alone – just as we act collectively in our communities, broader networks of allies, organizations, and knowledge exchange can support our journeys. And crucially, we’ll consider the mental health resources and approaches that are emerging to help individuals cope day-to-day, complementing the community and land-based strategies we’ve discussed. Taking action and seeking support go hand in hand: when we do all we can for the land, we must also take care of each other and ourselves.