The “Wisdom of Indigenous People” Would Make Environmental Science Less Scientific

Environmentalism is becoming increasingly irrational and unscientific. The "nature rights" movement, for example, has convinced governments and judges to assign personhood, "rights," and, laughably, even "responsibilities" to geological features. Concomitantly, the increasing advocacy in many scientific papers to "listen to the wisdom of indigenous people" in determining environmental policies reflects this ongoing shift away from empiricism in environmental research and advocacy.

Yes, indigenous people were and are keen observers of nature and live more softly on the land. But relying on "indigenous wisdom" to craft environmental policies suitable to the needs of modern societies makes little sense. Many of their practices were steeped in religious and mystical beliefs. They developed comparatively rudimentary technologies, had no electricity, and were required to feed, house, and otherwise provide for far fewer people than the 8 billion of us living today.

But don't tell that to the increasingly ideological science establishment. A new paper published in Nature Communications goes deeper into "indigenous wisdom" argumentation, urging the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) environmental research sites to collect and analyze data in a manner accommodating of indigenous sensibilities.

It's all about equity, don't you know.