Climate Change and Indigenous Communities
In brief, climate change impacts Indigenous communities first and foremost. More violent weather coupled with rising sea levels has even forced entire villages on the Arctic coast and islands to abandon their homes and traditional lands. Climatic changes also disrupt the lifecycles of plant and animal populations that Native communities have depended upon for food, medicine and cultural practices for centuries.
The reality is that if we do not act to mitigate and adapt to climate change, we will be in a very difficult place as Indigenous peoples. We live in remote areas, in inefficient and substandard housing in tremendous poverty where the necessities of life are no longer produced locally. New evidence shows that we face a higher mortality risk from climate change as we will either freeze or cook on our reservations if we do not take action. It is critical that we develop local energy economies.
Peak Oil and Indigenous Communities
In the past fifty years, we have used more than half of the world’s known oil reserves. Worldwide oil production is now in decline. That means we are on the down side of the “peak” oil, leading to a dramatic increase in prices. What remains is going to cost a lot to get, not just in terms of dollars, but also in terms of the cost to the environment and human rights. The present lay of the land is that major oil companies are moving into remote and primarily indigenous areas in search of new oil supplies for the addicted economy. Offshore drilling in the Arctic along with the Tar Sands in Canada are two examples of indigenous territories impacted by the search for remaining oil supplies. These projects are incredibly destructive to land, life and people.
Food Security and Indigenous Communities
The increasing instability of our food supply is of great concern to Indigenous peoples. In short, tribal food security is now tied to industrial food security and oil. We are producing less and less of our own food. Studies of tribal food security indicate that l00 years ago, we produced close to l00% of our own food locally on our reservations. Today, we produce less than 20%.
Tribal communities today are reliant upon the same food systems and stores as the dominant population. Our food travels far from market to reservation. In fact, US food travels an average of l,546 miles from producer to the table. Petroleum dependent agriculture means we now use 10 to 15 calories of fossil fuels to create one calorie of food. Although food accounts for only l7% of the US energy budget, it is the single largest consumer of energy in the US economy.
Our purchased foods provide a diet that causes diabetes and a host of other illnesses in our communities. We are now paying astronomical bills through our Indian Health Service and contract health to address these issues.
This situation is not sustainable.
Find out more about how we're working to re-localize Indigenous energy and food economies.
