Critical Feminist Ecology: A Systematic Review of Knowledge Curated by Indigenous, Women, Queer, Ethnic, and Racial Communities Who Have Been at the Forefront of Climate Research, Advocacy, and Praxis

This scoping review utilized critical ecofeminism, Indigenous knowledge, and Queer theory to examine how women, Indigenous, and Queer peoples across multiple intersections have curated their knowledge not only to survive climate change but also to engage in activism against related social, economic, environmental, and political oppression. Guided by a critical ecofeminism framework, we reviewed research studies from 1995, when the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, agreed to document gender inequalities and environmental sustainability, to 2024, using the PRISMA-ScR checklist. For this study, we included 33 of 1,992 qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies. Our findings identified five key themes across the reviewed literature: 1) disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized communities, 2) activism and advocacy to protect the environment, 3) challenges faced in the pursuit of advocacy, activism, and resistance, 4) curating and transferring knowledge within communities and movements, and 5) developing resiliencies and self-care practices to sustain long-term social movements. At a critical time of environmental challenges, acknowledging and listening to collective knowledge can support healthier earth systems by advancing scientific knowledge and honoring communities’ long-standing stewardship of nature to inform bottom-up sustainable community practices and climate change mitigation activities.