American Indian and Alaska Native tribes have contributed little to the causes of climate change, and yet face disproportionate risks. Tribes have unique rights, cultures, and economies that are, or could be, vulnerable to climate change impacts. For indigenous peoples, the environmental impacts of climate change and some of the proposed solutions threaten ways of life, subsistence, lands rights, future growth, cultural survivability, and financial resources.
The Tribal Climate Change Project began as a collaborative project between the University of Oregon Environmental Studies Program and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in 2009. The Project is now supported by diverse partners, including the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station.
Key Projects and Areas of Focus
Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate Change Network
The Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate Change Network serves as a means to exchange information on climate change policy, programs, grants and other opportunities for tribes to engage in climate change issues. The Network also provides input into the development of project resources and helps focus on the most critical areas for research and action.
Tribal Adaptation and Mitigation Planning: Increase understanding about tribal adaptation and mitigation planning in preparing for the impacts of climate change and/or reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This includes consideration of traditional knowledge in understanding climate change impacts and identifying culturally appropriate strategies to address climate change.
Management of Off-Reservation Resources: Increase understanding about the challenges, opportunities, and implications for federal land managers and tribes in managing off-reservation resources in the context of climate change. Build knowledge about treaty rights and federal land management obligations in the context of changing composition and distribution of culturally important off-reservation species.
Tribal Consultation in the Context of Climate Change: Examine government-to-government relationships in addressing climate change, including consultation and the trust responsibility, cross-landscape climate change assessments and tribal involvement in federal and state climate change plans.
