Podcast
Episode 22: The Power of Traditional Climate Knowledge
H2O and Beyond, Vol.23 January 2026
2026
Abstract
For thousands of years, Pacific Island communities survived rising seas, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and storms—without satellites, sensors, or climate models.
In this episode of H2O and Beyond, I speak with Patrick Nunn, a geologist who has spent more than three decades working with Pacific Island communities, learning how traditional knowledge preserved real environmental history—and how colonization disrupted it.
We explore how myths and legends are actually encoded memories of past disasters, why many Pacific Islanders historically avoided coastlines, and how modern climate adaptation efforts often fail when they ignore local knowledge. We also discuss why money alone won’t solve climate change, and why the future depends on combining Indigenous knowledge with Western science.
This episode challenges the idea that vulnerable communities are helpless—and asks what we’ve lost by failing to listen.
Details
- Title
- Episode 22: The Power of Traditional Climate Knowledge
- Authors
- Patrick Nunn (Interviewee) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyAlex Han (Interviewer)
- Publication details
- H2O and Beyond, Vol.23 January 2026
- Format
- 53.01 minutes
- Date published
- 2026
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991200750702621
- Output Type
- Podcast
Metrics
1 Record Views