Every day is Earth Day: Indigenous Peoples and their knowledges for planetary health

Indigenous Peoples have experienced historical and ongoing colonialism, ecocide, epistemicide, racism, and severe marginalisation and are disproportionately affected by poverty and reduced life expectancy.4 Yet despite these challenges they continue to protect and steward about 80% of all the remaining biodiversity on Earth.5 For Indigenous Peoples, every day is Earth Day, with the basis of their lives underpinned by a healthy relationship with the planet and extensive Indigenous Traditional Knowledges (ITK) developed over millennia.6 However, Indigenous leadership within planetary health practice to shape research, policy, and practice is still challenged by a multitude of factors. [...]insufficient representation and engagement of Indigenous Peoples in technical, policy, and decision-making groups in relation to climate change and health research, policy, and practice needs to be rectified. [...]for planetary health to be appropriately and successfully mobilised, Indigenous Peoples and their knowledges cannot continue to be marginalised, disconnected, and discounted from within government and scientific institutions.16 Researchers, practitioners, and policy makers need “to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing, and to see from the other eye with the strengths of western ways of knowing, and to use both of these eyes together”17 for the survival of our planet.