Visualizing climate change: a systematic scoping review of digital climate knowledge centers for Indigenous communities in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand

Digital climate knowledge centers, which serve as virtual hubs by providing crucial data and adaptation information, are essential for addressing the specific impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities. Indigenous Peoples face unique vulnerabilities due to climate change threats to food security, water resources, and cultural continuity. The objective of this systematic scoping review is to contextualize these challenges by synthesizing information from the published literature on the methods/approaches, findings, and scope of research that addresses the co-building of digital climate knowledge centers with Indigenous Peoples in high-income countries. A structured literature search in four major databases yielded 40 relevant peer-reviewed articles focusing on Indigenous Peoples in Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Several key themes emerged, including the importance of drawing on both Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to create these climate knowledge centers, the role of community-based participatory research in aligning with place-based community interests, and the need for frameworks that support Indigenous self-determination and ensure the protection of intellectual property rights. In this study, we also emphasize the importance of integrating Indigenous sovereignty principles to dismantle oppressive systems and promote initiatives of collaborative and participatory approaches to developing digital climate knowledge centers tailored for Indigenous communities.