Many of the cultures that collaborate most effectively with their natural surroundings and which have done the least to harm the planet, are the ones now facing the gravest threats from climate change and environmental degradation.

For example…

The Ma’dan people of southern Iraq build their houses out of nothing but reeds.  Without nails, wood or any other materials, they construct resilient structures that can be put up in a matter of days and taken down just as quickly.  They live in marshes and wetlands, where there is little stable land for building.  If waters rise too high or if the floating islands on which they live shift, they simply move their homes to higher ground.  The reeds they use are huge bamboo-like grasses harvested from the open waters that surround them. These reeds are bound together (with rope made from those same reeds) to form floors, walls, columns, and arching roofs that are strong, flexible, and beautiful.  The Ma’dan have been building in this way for thousands of years.  Their way of life does not destroy the natural environment around them; rather, it is in balance with it and even enhances it.

Another group of people which builds with reeds are the Uros of Peru who live on Lake Titicaca.  They build islands out of the totora reed, which grows in abundance in and around the lake.  They then construct their homes on these man-made islands, using the same reed.  The islands are anchored to the lake bed with ropes and rocks and are highly mobile.  They last for decades with regular additions of reeds.  The Uros’ lifestyle revolves around the totora plant, from which they make many other items they depend upon, like boats, blankets, and traditional medicines.

There are bridges in northeastern India made of tree roots.  The Khasi people live in what is considered one of the wettest places on earth.  For centuries, they have been able to traverse the deep gullies and ravines in the forests where they live by training the enormous roots of rubber fig trees to grow into virtually unbreakable bridges.  These bridges don’t get weak and worn with time the way bridges made of steel and concrete do.  Instead, the tangle of roots guided to become living structures get stronger with time.  Even when hit by the severe storms that are common in this area, they hold up effortlessly – better, in fact, than any other bridge yet designed.

As the world has been watching mega-fires devastate vast swaths of land, from California to southern Europe to Siberia to Australia, less attention has been paid to the ancient techniques developed by indigenous groups all over the globe to control fires by deliberate burning.  For thousands of years, people have used controlled fires to make “breaks” in areas of rich vegetation.  A wildfire cannot cross a break because all the stuff it needs to keep going – namely all the plant life – has already been burned off. 

The Kayapó people who live in the Amazon Basin see themselves as members of the natural ecosystem – not separate from nature.  They have been taming fires for centuries, using it to protect forested areas, enrich the soil of both cultivated and uncultivated lands, and grow crops.  Their fires benefit them but also produce conditions for the rest of life around them to flourish.