This compendium represents steps towards the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and local knowledge (LK) into international assessments. The contributions within this compendium document how holders of IK and LK observe, project, and respond to anthropogenic climate change. In doing so, this compendium constitutes an invaluable resource to be considered in international assessment reports, including the Working Group II contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and beyond.
The need to include IK and LK in understanding climate change impacts, developing adaptation and mitigation strategies, and governing climate change actions has been called for years. Indeed, in 2011-2012, the IPCC worked with the United Nations University to create forums where IPCC Lead Authors and Chairs from the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) met and interacted directly with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, both in
Mexico and in Australia. These interactions aimed to create, among other things, opportunities for shared learning and to identify ways to increase the inclusion of both IK and LK in IPCC assessment reports.