Ontological Bridges for Climate Change Mitigation in Maasailand

“Ontological Bridge-building for Climate Change Mitigation in Maasailand” (OBCCMM) is a multidisciplinary project that builds bridges across clashing climate ontologies in Maasailand in Tanzania. This holistic project integrates indigenous knowledge and climate science that is negotiated through ecotheological frameworks. The collaboratively developed core values and learning outcomes are worked into curricula components four target research groups. This project leverages existing educational and societal systems of the church with trusted local leaders for educating and equipping with the best practices of climate change mitigation in Maasailand. This project grows out of recent research that demonstrates a “cognitive dissonance” [clash] between the climate ontologies within the scientific messaging and the traditional Maasai worldview (de Wit, 2020). Thus, the Tanzanian governmental efforts in climate change prevention education are not effective among Maasai, a very traditional people group numbering around two million people in mostly northern Tanzania and southern Kenya, East Africa (de Wit, 2018). However, as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there is an established basic model of the church providing a strategic role in bridging the cognitive dissonance chasm between the science and a skeptical people group, resulting in effective outcomes (Watt et al., 2009). This project expands the current research; builds upon the previous church-based pedagogy models; integrates indigenous knowledge; collaboratively curates core values and learning outcomes; champions women as the core of the societal structures; and develops innovative pedagogical dissemination with robust analysis of results in order to measure and determine best practices of climate change mitigation in Maasailand. As the local church made a difference in the health of the people regarding HIV/AIDS, the local church can make a difference in the health of the environment.