Decolonizing Climate Discourse: Embracing Plurality in Knowledges

Atmospheric Tales

In this episode, we discuss:

• Critique of mainstream climate discourse
• Role of Indigenous knowledges
• Reimagining climate governance
• Positionality and ethical research

Guest | Dr Ritodhi Chakraborty

Our guest, Dr Ritodhi Chakraborty, is a political ecologist and interdisciplinary social scientist who collaborates with indigenous and agrarian communities to explore pathways of environmental and social justice. For the past 15 years, he has worked with various universities, think-tanks, public and civil society institutions in United States, India, Bhutan, China and Aotearoa/New Zealand on issues of plural knowledges, environmental and social justice, rural transformation, youth subjectivities, climate change and agriculture.

Interviewer | Uma Pal

Our interviewer, Uma Pal, is a Senior Analyst at the Climate Policy Initiative, India. Her work focuses on adaptation, resilience and sustainable finance. With over 8 years of experience in the climate and development space, her expertise lies in climate change policy and institutional analysis, physical climate risk assessments and mainstreaming climate risk in plans, policies, and actions of governments and the private sector. Uma holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change and Sustainability Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, and a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.

Episode notes and references:

• Climate adaptation projects sometimes exacerbate the problems they try to solve — a new tool hopes to correct that
• Mountains of inequality: encountering the politics of climate adaptation across the Himalaya
• From climate adaptation to climate justice: Critical reflections on the IPCC and Himalayan climate knowledges

Music by: Ritesh Prasanna

Podcast website: https://atmospherictales.com

Transcript: https://atmospherictales.medium.com/decolonizing-climate-discourse-embracing-plurality-in-knowledges-676e6e6b681a