Section 3 of 4 · Line 3
Leading, Not Waiting
About 7 minutes, plus the film (about 30 minutes)
Step 1 · The line
The line we're fixing
Part of this line is true. Many Indigenous communities and lower-income countries do face higher climate risks. But the line stops there. It describes these communities only by what could happen to them. It doesn't say why their risk is higher, or what people are already doing about it.
Step 1 · Quick prediction
What picture does “the most vulnerable” create?
There's no right answer here. Notice your first reaction.
Step 2 · Learn
Why the risk is higher
The IPCC's 2022 report found that people's vulnerability to climate change depends on inequity, marginalization, and historical and ongoing colonialism. It does not come from anything about the people themselves.
In Canada, colonial laws and policies took land, restricted fishing and harvesting, and moved communities. These decisions shaped many of the risks First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities face today. The risk on Line 3 is real. It comes from decisions governments made, and different decisions can reduce it.
Source: IPCC (2022), Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Summary for Policymakers, B.2 (paraphrased).
Deficit framing and agency framing
How we describe a group shapes what students think that group can do. Deficit framing describes people by what they lack or what might happen to them. Agency framing keeps the risk in view, but also shows what people know, decide, and do.
- Deficit framing“Indigenous communities are the most vulnerable.”
- Agency framing“Many Indigenous Nations face higher risks because of colonial policies, and many are leading their own climate responses.”
Watch: Hikila
Hikila (Taking Care)
Climate Atlas of Canada, Prairie Climate Centre.
Hikila is a documentary about the Heiltsuk (Haíɫzaqv) Nation on the central coast of British Columbia. It shows community-led projects, including clam gardens and the Big House, and the principle the Nation calls “Looking Back to Look Forward.”
As you watch, look for:
- What clam gardens and the Big House are, and how they help the community prepare for change.
- What “Looking Back to Look Forward” means to the people in the film.
- Who makes the decisions in these projects.
Captions: YouTube's automatic captions turn on with the CC button. They may not spell names correctly. You can also watch Hikila on the Climate Atlas of Canada site (opens in a new tab).
After the film: back to adaptive capacity
In Section 2, the one assessment approach linked to action was participatory planning, where the community helps plan the response. The projects in Hikila are community-led. The Nation makes the plans and decides what gets built.
Whitney et al. (2017) also list intergenerational learning capacity as part of a community's adaptive capacity. That means knowledge passed between elders and youth. “Looking Back to Look Forward” is one example of it.
Step 3 · Check
Deficit or agency?
Decide whether each statement uses deficit framing or agency framing. You'll get feedback as soon as you choose.
Step 4 · Fix it
Rewrite Line 3
Keep the fact that the risk is real, say why it is higher, and show people as actors. One or two sentences. Prefer to sketch it, or say it aloud? Do that instead. Your text saves on this device only.
Compare with one possible version
“Many Indigenous Nations and lower-income countries face higher climate risks, largely because of colonialism and unequal access to resources. Many are also leading the response, like the Heiltsuk (Haíɫzaqv) Nation, whose clam gardens and Big House draw on knowledge passed down over generations.”
This version keeps the risk, explains where it comes from, and shows a community making its own decisions.
Line 4 says, “If everyone does their part, we can save the planet!” If people are already leading, what message should our lesson end on?
Ready to continue?
Line 3 is fixed. In Section 4, you'll rewrite the slide's big message.