ABSTRACT
From 1990 to 2004 the author has studied the familiarity of San peoples with issues surrounding global climate change and local environmental situations. Interviews with approximately 250 San from eight ethnic groups in the Kalahari Desert region in Botswana included questions about perceptions of the state of the Kalahari, adaptive strategies, and short-term and long-term environmental change. The San and their neighbors in the Kalahari expressed a great deal of concern about environmental change and often ask researchers, government officials, and others many questions about what global climate change is and whether it will continue to affect them. A number of San would agree with Thomas and Twyman who argue that equity and justice are issues of crucial concern when it comes to climate change impacts among societies that are relatively heavily dependent on natural resources. A useful strategy, several people argued, would be to incorporate lessons about how to cope with climate change in the curricula of primary schools.
