Growing up in the Mukogodo Forest, I was surrounded not only by trees and bees, but by wisdom— carried in the songs of my grandmother and the stories of my grandfather. From them, I learned that the land is not separate from us. The forest was not just a resource; it was a relative. When I talk about climate justice, I am talking about protecting kinship, this relationship that Indigenous people long understood. Climate justice begins with respecting the Earth and those who live near it.
Climate change is not a faraway crisis for Indigenous communities—it is an everyday reality. Shifting weather patterns disrupt our beekeeping cycles, dry seasons lengthen, and the wild foods we rely on become scarce. As a Yaaku woman, I have witnessed how climate change threatens not only our environment but also our culture, language, and identity. For us, climate justice is about survival, not just sustainability. It is about preserving our way of life for future generations.