southwest climate council bineshi albert community development director western regional air...
TRANSCRIPT
Southwest Climate Council
Bineshi Albert
Community Development Director
Western Regional Air Partnership
August 25, 2005
Our Work…• Networking
– Communities– Scientific and technical resource
people– Businesses and industry
• Model Projects– Funding– Resource people
• Policy– Identifying existing policies– Community support for new policies
• Education– Climate change– Benefits of renewable energy
Current work
• Survey– Rural communities
• Tribes• Land grants• Ranching & farming communities
• Analysis– Climate change impacts to land based
communities
SurveyPreliminary findings
• Nearly 2/3 of 22 tribes have a renewable energy system of some sort
• Applications are for agricultural use
• Funding and financing is a challenge
• Interests in utility scale development to create jobs in community
Analysis
• Impacts to New Mexico– Water– Tourism
• Impacts to land based cultures– Tribes– Land grants– Ranching & farming communities
A World Out of BalanceA World Out of Balance
Climate Change and the Impacts Climate Change and the Impacts on Indigenous Communitieson Indigenous Communities
Developed by Sammie Ardito & Developed by Sammie Ardito & Nikalntha Smith, Climate Justice Nikalntha Smith, Climate Justice
Corps Members of the Corps Members of the Indigenous Environmental Indigenous Environmental
NetworkNetwork
in collaboration with the in collaboration with the Environmental Justice & Climate Environmental Justice & Climate
Change Initiative (EJCC)Change Initiative (EJCC)
Impacts on Impacts on Land-based CommunitiesLand-based Communities
Health EffectsHealth Effects
• Infectious Infectious diseasesdiseases
• Asthma and other Asthma and other respiratory respiratory illnessesillnesses
• Heat related Heat related deathsdeaths
Extreme WeatherExtreme Weather• Severe stormsSevere storms• FloodsFloods• DroughtsDroughts• Heat wavesHeat waves• HurricanesHurricanes• TornadoesTornadoes
Loss of LivelihoodLoss of Livelihood
• Mass migration as Mass migration as people are no longer people are no longer able to live in able to live in traditional territoriestraditional territories
• Damage/Loss of Damage/Loss of traditional foods traditional foods
• Loss of access to Loss of access to sacred sitessacred sites
Diminishing Natural Diminishing Natural ResourcesResources
• Droughts are causing beetles Droughts are causing beetles to kill trees by sucking the sap to kill trees by sucking the sap out of them. out of them.
• Groundwater and rivers are Groundwater and rivers are drying up due to excessive drying up due to excessive droughts.droughts.
• The excessive global use of The excessive global use of energy is leading to a rapid energy is leading to a rapid decline in the amount of fossil decline in the amount of fossil fuels available.fuels available.
Impacts on Impacts on Indigenous CommunitiesIndigenous Communities
• InIndigenous Peoples, Pacific Islanders, and digenous Peoples, Pacific Islanders, and other local land-based communities are other local land-based communities are the first to experience the impacts of the first to experience the impacts of climate change. climate change.
• AAllong with the rural and urban poor, ong with the rural and urban poor, Indigenous Peoples are also the hardest Indigenous Peoples are also the hardest hit by climate change; yet they contribute hit by climate change; yet they contribute the least to the problem.the least to the problem.
Arctic RegionArctic Region
Many Arctic communities Many Arctic communities have already had their lands have already had their lands and natural resources and natural resources polluted by oil development. polluted by oil development. Now they are also facing Now they are also facing further destruction from the further destruction from the other end of the oil cycle- other end of the oil cycle- carbon emissions.carbon emissions.
• SShorter winters disrupt the plants horter winters disrupt the plants and animals which Arctic and animals which Arctic communities depend on for communities depend on for sustenance.sustenance.
• RRising of the water levels due to ising of the water levels due to the melting of the glaciers have the melting of the glaciers have forced many island and coastal forced many island and coastal Arctic communities to abandon Arctic communities to abandon their homes and traditional their homes and traditional territoriesterritories . .
• Warming of the sea water is Warming of the sea water is causing many sea animals, which causing many sea animals, which the Native Alaskan people rely on, the Native Alaskan people rely on, to migrate pole ward.to migrate pole ward.
Great Lakes and Eastern Great Lakes and Eastern Woodland RegionsWoodland Regions
Our addiction to fossil fuels, Our addiction to fossil fuels, and the “Western” standard of and the “Western” standard of living they support, has put us living they support, has put us on a path that could see the on a path that could see the northern migration or dying off northern migration or dying off of the plants, trees, fish and of the plants, trees, fish and animals. These beings make animals. These beings make the region what it is and the the region what it is and the way of life of the Anishinaabeg way of life of the Anishinaabeg people depend on them.people depend on them.
• A A disruption of the growth and availability of disruption of the growth and availability of traditional foods such as wild rice, berries and traditional foods such as wild rice, berries and maple syrup.maple syrup.
• Dramatic Dramatic fluctuations in water levels and fluctuations in water levels and warmer lake water temperatures which cause warmer lake water temperatures which cause fish kills and increase the amount of disease fish kills and increase the amount of disease spreading insects such as mosquitoes.spreading insects such as mosquitoes.
• Early Early and rapid winter snowmelt that leads to and rapid winter snowmelt that leads to flooding of rivers and lakes, causing damage flooding of rivers and lakes, causing damage and havoc.and havoc.
• Loss of wetlands which are the source of Loss of wetlands which are the source of medicines.medicines.
Southwest RegionSouthwest Region
The Navajo (Dine’) and Hopi The Navajo (Dine’) and Hopi peoples have already been peoples have already been suffering from the desecration suffering from the desecration and poisoning of their lands and poisoning of their lands by fossil fuel mining by fossil fuel mining corporations. Now they must corporations. Now they must also deal with the aftermath of also deal with the aftermath of global warming which global warming which threatens the delicate balance threatens the delicate balance of survival in an already of survival in an already harsh and warm climate.harsh and warm climate.
• The The limited water resources limited water resources are dependent on the little are dependent on the little rain the region gets to rain the region gets to replenish them. Climate replenish them. Climate change has caused drought change has caused drought which leads to the death of which leads to the death of plants and animals.plants and animals.
• Droughts Droughts have forced have forced beetles to suck the tree sap beetles to suck the tree sap of medicinal plants and foods of medicinal plants and foods such as the pinion tree, such as the pinion tree, causing tree and plant death.causing tree and plant death.
Great Plains RegionGreat Plains Region The Great Plains extends from The Great Plains extends from Canada to Mexico, and Canada to Mexico, and accounts for a third of total US accounts for a third of total US land mass. The Plains are land mass. The Plains are seeing an increase in seeing an increase in extreme extreme weather events such as weather events such as blizzards and droughts due to blizzards and droughts due to climate change. This is climate change. This is effecting the plants and animals effecting the plants and animals which the Plains Tribes depend which the Plains Tribes depend on economically and spiritually.on economically and spiritually.
• Water Water resources are becoming resources are becoming scarce and depleted.scarce and depleted.
• TheThe Dakotas have had six Dakotas have had six national disaster declarations national disaster declarations due to drought, blizzards and due to drought, blizzards and flooding in the past ten years.flooding in the past ten years.
• Summer Summer heat and severe heat and severe weather have caused increased weather have caused increased health risks for children and health risks for children and elders.elders.
Pacific Coast Region
• The Pacific Coastal and The Pacific Coastal and Intermountain Area is one Intermountain Area is one of the most diverse of the most diverse regions on the continent, regions on the continent, and will therefore face a and will therefore face a wide variety of climate wide variety of climate change related problems. change related problems.
•Warmer, wetter winters Warmer, wetter winters will cause increased will cause increased flooding, landslides, and flooding, landslides, and hydropower hydropower complications.complications.
• Warmer, dryer Warmer, dryer summers will lead to summers will lead to increases in the intensity, increases in the intensity, and extent of fires, and and extent of fires, and also pest infestation.also pest infestation.
