1. Climate Change and Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations Project
DR. ZOLTÁN GROSSMAN
DR. ALAN PARKER
Northwest Indian
Applied Research Institute
The Evergreen State College,
Olympia, Washington
Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute, at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. In 2006 initiated a project on Climate Change and Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations, as part of work to develop an Indigenous Nations Treaty with Native governments around the Pacific Rim. This presentation was developed for tribal government leaders, including recommendations for tribes dealing with climate change.

2. Climate Change Reports
As part of the project, we held discussions with Tulalip and Maori experts on the science of global warming, how Indigenous cultures are being affected by climate change, and how Indigenous peoples have unique ways to respond to climate change--from the local to the global scales . We released our 81-page report on climate change, and a shorter 16-page community organizing booklet in more basic English (right). Our report highlighted some ominous trends in the impacts of climate change, but also found some potential paths that Indigenous nations can follow to protect their homelands and cultures. With traditional ecological knowledge, political sovereignty and a relatively greater sense of community, Native nations have certain possibilities that non-Native communities do not possess.

3. Asserting Native Resilience: Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations Face the Climate Crisis Edited by Zoltan Grossman and Alan Parker, Oregon State University Press, Fall 2011
New book coming out in the fall, including Brett Stephenson
Photo at Lummi Nation after tribal canoe journey 2007.

4.  August 2006 and August 2009.
South
Cascade
Glacier

5. Harvesting rights in North America
Native rights are primarily place-based rights, based on the long-time occupation of Indigenous territories. Climate change shifts and disrupts plant and animal habitats, and in doing so forces cultures to adapt to these conditions, or die. Species adapt to rising temperatures by shifting their ranges farther north or to higher elevations. Shifting conditions may also directly threaten species, such as in the “dead zone” on the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast, where fish and crabs are being starved of oxygen by wild swings in ocean upwellings of phytoplankton, and domoic acid events.

6. Near Skokomish Reservation
Threats to fishery
Declined spring snowpack
reduce summer streamflows
Earlier and quicker spring melts
create floods, throw off timing
of ecosystem relationships
Higher stream water temps
harm fish and habitat
Enormous economic impacts
from unreliable water sources 
Near Skokomish Reservation

7. Impacts on forest fires
Climate change is also expected to increase the frequency and severity of human, wildlife, plant, livestock and crop diseases and pests. Shorter and more mild winters and summer heat stress favor disease and pest buildup. Forest vulnerability from insect infestations can already be seen in the growing spruce beetle crisis, pictured here in Alaska. Fires are expected to increase due to increased droughts, lightning strikes, and forests impacted by new levels and kinds of infestations. Fires destroy or modify habitat and culturally important species, and increase timber management and firefighting costs. These will cause increased tribal costs in health services, veterinary services, in losses to tribal natural resource enterprises.

8. Shifting invasive species
Treaty-guaranteed rights to hunt, fish and gather may be rendered moot by these changes, since species are migrating outside traditional gathering grounds, or may adapt to new species. Some of the new species are invasive and harmful--Humboldt Squid and Brown Pelicans eat voraciously. They used to be seen no farther north than central California, as this outdated map shows.
Quinault fishermen report seeing sunfish and anchovies in large quantities. Quileutes have been alarmed by the low numbers of smelt and herring. No one wants the annual Salmon Homecoming to become the Tuna Homecoming.

9. Sea-level rise  Hoh Reservation on Washington
coast threatened by storm surges
and tsunamis. Home have fallen in
the Hoh River due to coastal flooding.
Tribal offices are permanently
sandbagged, and the Tribe is working
with the National Park Service to move
housing to higher ground 

10. Traditional Ecological Knowledge
On one hand, Indigenous peoples are on the frontline of climate change—the first to feel its effects, with subsistence economies and cultures that are the most vulnerable to climate catastrophes. On the other hand, Indigenous people can also be viewed as the most historically adaptable and resilient, because of traditional ecological knowledge and community ties. Plant and animal species can be reliable predictors of changing weather patterns, for those who will listen. A bird may let out shrill cries before rains begin, or a flower blooming early may be a sign of a long, hot summer. A decade ago, Navajo elders linked the Hanta virus to mice feeding on an explosion of piñon nuts, caused by rainfall intensified by higher ocean temperatures. The more that Indigenous elders are able to pass on this type of knowledge, the more that Indigenous communities will be able to recognize and respond to changing weather patterns.

11. Indigenous sovereignty
Tribal governments could elect to integrate climate adaptation measures into tribal planning (such as water conservation, crop rotation, housing shifts, etc.), and cooperate with other Indigenous peoples in the process. Harvesters may have to be trained by other practitioners on how to interact with new species coming into their area. This is one area where Indigenous climate change concerns intersect with intertriball cooperation.

12. Community = Survival
When we contemplate the urgent need to plan for climate change impacts an important advantage that indigenous peoples have in contrast to the non-Indigenous population is that they still have community! Tribal communities are comprised of extended families who care for each other, who keep track of each other, and, who insist that the tribe does everything possible to take care of the community. We were informed that the members of a marae assume a responsibility for community members who experience family losses or tragedy. as well as to extend hospitality to insure that guests to the marae are fed and housed in time of need.  As we contemplate the potential disastrous consequences of climate change impacts, it seems clear that we must look to the structures and institutions of community as the means to prepare for and deal with these consequences. (Ngati Pukeko Marae, Whakatane)
The dominannt society, dependent on grocery stores and malls, and not knowing their neighbors, will have a harder time than communities where people care for each other and plan together.

13. RECOMMENDATIONS
In the interest of building a community of Indigenous nations around climate change, our report issues the following ten recommendations to Pacific Rim Indigenous leadership.

14. 1. Gather information
1. Gather information on the impacts of climate change in your region and make it available to your tribal community! As tribal people who have survived against all odds in the past, tribes can survive the changes associated with global warming—if they prepare.. Moreover, this information must be shared within the entire community if leadership is to have the support and understanding to allocate tribal resources.

15. 2. Secure water sources
2. Secure sources of fresh water for drought-impacted regions. In the near future we could face situations where municipal drinking water supplies literally dry up. For tribal communities, prior planning could be extremely crucial. Even in rural areas there may be demand for agricultural or industrial water use that far exceeds supply, and tribal communities may be forced to pay exorbitant rates unless they have already secured water sources. Under existing federal law there is a Winters Doctrine that recognizes tribal rights to sufficient water, though they may be overridden in time of extreme shortage.

16. 3. Secure food sources
3. Secure sources of food stocks that will continue to be available in disaster or emergency conditions:
• Plan for food storage facilities, both perishable and non-perishable; such as the Oneida white flint corn cannery shown here;
• Negotiate agricultural production capabilities for food crops that will be able to adapt to changing climate conditions, through agreements among tribes.
Having a supplementary food production and storage capability could be crucial to maintaining a healthy diet for the community. For example, different root crops may be more adaptable to drought conditions. If smaller tribes are planning ahead, they may consider proposing joint agreements that involve the investment of capital resources into food production systems with tribes possessing a larger land base.

17. 4. Adapt to new foods
4. Prepare for impacts on plant and animal species; determine whether species adaptation will provide alternative sources of important plant and animal species. As climate change impacts our landscapes, inevitably we will see the disappearance of some fish runs. Perhaps in some cases such fisheries will be replaced by other runs as species adapt by shifting northward. Drought conditions will also influence plant and animal species that have sustained Indigenous peoples as subsistence food sources or as essential to their ceremonial life. To the extent that they can, tribes and traditional leadership should be studying these phenomena to understand in advance the possible impacts on their cultural ways of life.

18. 5. Cooperate in local planning: land use
Clear-cuts causing mudslides
in December 2007 storm in
Lewis County WA
 5. Develop relationships with neighboring local governments and communities regarding land use planning, and emergency plans for the more disastrous impacts of climate change. Local governments may be more responsive to climate change than state or national governments, and Katrina showed us we cannot wait for the feds to act.
The December 2007 mudslides and floods in Lewis County showed the risks of doing nothing to control land use.
The Nisqually Tribe signed an agreement with Olympia on moving springwater sources from McAllister Springs to wells on higher ground, away from sea-level rise, and thereby restoring more water to Medicine Creek.
Nisqually agreement with Olympia
on alternate springwater sources

19. Local emergency planning
Local and tribal governments
sharing resources. Only have
each other in an emergency--
Not FEMA.
Local emergency planning
 5. Develop relationships with neighboring local governments and communities regarding land use planning, and emergency plans for the more disastrous impacts of climate change. Local governments may be more responsive to climate change than state or national governments, and Katrina showed us we cannot wait for the feds to act. Tribes and local communities possess the ability to work together as neighbors, having common interests in local impacts on their homes and neighborhoods (such as building outside flood plains and erosion zones). Tribal leadership can look to these municipal and county governments to search for common ground in addressing climate change impacts.
The Swinomish Tribe is working with other Skagit Delta local governments for a mitigation and adaptation plan to deal with local floods and sea-level rise. Umatilla works with local communities on fire control.
Umatilla
Swinomish working with Skagit River Delta
local governments on flood prevention/response

20. 6. Cooperate to reduce emissions
6. Consider political alliances with municipal, county and other local governments to build a renewable energy policy on local, regional and national levels:
• To develop carbon emission reduction and control measures;
• To develop renewable energy policies and practices;
• To advocate for responsible and proactive positions by national governments.
Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols had asserted leadership among U.S. mayors to adopt carbon emission control measures that would apply to the city government, and over 140 other towns and cities have followed suit.
Tribal governments should consider joining these efforts with municipal governments, as discussed at the Native Renewable Energy Summit. Cities can make deals with tribes to import wind energy, for example, to reduce urban dependence on fossil fuels.

21. Adopting renewable energies
Indigenous nations can beginto convert from dependence on fossil fuels and the centralized electrical grid to cleaner and more locally controlled renewable energies, and select the energy systems most appropriate for their natural region. These energy sources can also provide a source of income and trade, and provide an example to non-Native neighbors. The Tulalip Tribes have embarked on a methane biomass project in cooperation with local dairy farmers, and the Makah are involved in a wave energy project.. The project will not only generate electricity, but reduce waste releases into the local salmon river. Other tribes have embarked on windmill projects (working with NativeEnergy), small hydroelectric and thermal energy projects. By taking leadership on renewable energy, tribes can gain public support and even admiration.
KILI-FM,
Pine Ridge

22. 7. Protect local habitats
7. Consider strategies to unite tribes around habitat protection needed to defend treaty rights to fish and game, and to seek enforcement of U.S. trust responsibilities to protect tribal homelands through U.S. adoption of global warming control and mitigation. Treaty tribes, particularly those in the Northwest, have asserted their treaty rights, guaranteeing that fish and game habitat be protected. Through placing such tribal advocacy in the context of climate change, tribes raise a new argument that only tribes are entitled to make thereby generating yet another level of public pressure and education.

23. 8. Assert tribal powers globally
8. Consider active involvement as sovereign governments in global climate change negotiations, including formal tribal government representation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. U.S. tribes, First Nations, Maori tribal nations and other Indigenous nations in the Pacific Rim could consider a joint, coordinated strategy, perhaps through the structure of the Treaty of Indigenous Nations, to have a voice and presence at the international level. If a Pacific Rim coalition of Indigenous nations is created, the alliance should also consider directing its attention to put pressure on Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (or APEC) Forum states to reduce carbon emissions.
Indigenous NGOs at UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC)

24. 9. Involve tribal youth
9. Get youth involved in cultural education, and defending the future of their nation from harmful climate change. By making the youth of Indigenous communities more aware of climate change issues, tribal leaders can energize and inspire a level of activism and involvement will benefit future generations. However, youth need the elders’ traditional ecological knowledge, including awareness of climatic cycles and species. Support youth who want to set up groups of high school and college-age tribal youth around these issues.

25. 10. Work with other Indigenous
10. Work with other Indigenous nations across imposed colonial boundaries, on the basis of being part of the same natural region (such as the Pacific Rim). Share skills and knowledge about animal and plant species, as their habitats shift due to climate change. Exchange ideas and training about community adaptation, climate change mitigation, and renewable energies.

26. The Indigenous Nations Treaty
Pacific Rim Indigenous nations can use the Treaty of Indigenous Nations process as a way to build political alliances and practical programs that are based on cooperation and joint responses to climate change impacts.

27. The Indigenous Nations Treaty
 As the Pacific Rim states have cooperated historically in order to colonize Indigenous lands and increase industrial growth, Indigenous nations need to cooperate to de-colonize ancestral territories and protect our common property (of the air and water) for future generations. This was the United League of Indigenous Nations treaty being signed at the Lummi Nation on August 1st, 2007, by Native government representatives from the US, Canada, Australia, and Aotearoa (or New Zealand). It left out the states entirely, and is being signed onto by more and more indigenous governments.

28. United League of Indigenous Nations
Alan Parker, Director,
Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute (NIARI),
The Evergreen State College,
Sem 3112, 2700 Evergreen Pkwy. NW
Olympia, WA USA
Tel.: (360)
Website: 

29. Faculty Contact Dr. Zoltán Grossman, Senior Research Associate,
Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute (NIARI),
Faculty member in Geography / Native American Studies,
The Evergreen State College,
Lab , 2700 Evergreen Parkway NW
Olympia, WA USA
Phone: (360) /
Web:
NIARI:
Climate Change and Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations project
Web:
Report:
Powerpoint:
Article: Nations’ Responses.pdf 

30. Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission www.nwifc.org
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC)
United League of Indigenous Nations
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
Guide on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples (UNPFII)
Anchorage Declaration on Climate Change (2009)
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Native Climate Commons (UN & Tulalip Tribes)
National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC)
Native Peoples - Native Homelands climate change workshops (1998)
(2009)
Native Communities and Climate Change (2007)
Planning for Seven Generations (2008)
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States (2009)
Tribal Climate Change Forum (2009)
Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) Climate Justice Campaign
Native Energy / Intertribal Council on Utility Policy (COUP)
National Wildlife Federation
Coast Salish Gathering
Climate Change at Quileute and Hoh
Tribes and Climate Change (N. Arizona Univ.)
Climate Change Impacts on Tribal Resources (Tulalip)
Swinomish Climate Change Initiative
Energy Planning: A Guide for Northwest Indian Tribes
Pacific Northwest Research Station (U.S. Forest Service)
Environmental Justice and Climate Change (EJCC) Initiative
Energy Justice Network
Climate Impacts Group (Pacific Northwest)
Sea-level rise on Pacific Northwest coast