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Tribal Nations Featured Content

This page contains relevant content from U.S. government agencies and other sources that can help Tribal Nations and other communities understand how climate variability and/or global climate change may impact their peoples, lands, and resources and how to assist in building climate resilience strategies.

General Resources | Tribal Nations Resources for Alaska Natives/Arctic | Tribal Nations Resources for Assessment & Planning | Tribal Nations Resources for Adaptation | Tribal Nations Resources for Mitigation | Tribal Nations Resources for Disaster Risk Reduction | Tribal Nations Resources for Relocation | Tribal Nations Resources for Capacity Building

General Resources #

• Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience: Under the U.S Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience supports Indian Affairs programs, Federally-recognized Tribal Nations, and Alaska Native villages by providing resources and opportunities to build climate preparedness and resilience. The President’s Climate Action Plan identified the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as the lead agency to support federally recognized tribes as they address this challenge. Therefore, BIA is providing expanded climate funding, training, technical assistance, and coordinated government and intertribal resources to Tribal Nations to assist them with building climate resilience.
• Tribal Climate Change Guide: The Tribal Climate Change Guide provides exhaustive resource listings by Funding, Tribal Adaptation Plans, Tribal Climate Resources, and related programs and resources that may assist tribes in addressing climate change impacts. New resource topics continue to be added regularly.
• Tribal Climate Change Events Calendar: This calendar includes conferences, training sessions, webinars, and other events related to tribes and climate change.
• National Climate Assessment: Indigenous Peoples, Lands, and Resources: Climate change threatens Tribal Nations’ access to traditional foods and adequate water. Alaskan Native communities are increasingly exposed to health and livelihood hazards related to rising temperatures and declining sea ice. This sector chapter of the National Climate Assessment helps users explore impacts on Indigenous Peoples.
• NASA-sponsored 1998 Native Peoples-Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop, 2009 Native Peoples-Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop, and Mystic Lake Declaration of November 21, 2009 provided a landmark voice for Tribal Nations to describe how climate impacted them and what they expected from world leaders to address the causes of climate change to protect their ways of life.
• Rising Voices: The Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Earth Sciences facilitates cross-cultural approaches to assess critical community needs and to pursue joint research aimed at developing optimal plans for community action towards sustainability to equip indigenous communities adversely affected by weather and climate impacts. A workshop is held annually to encourage collaboration amongst Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientific experts and community leaders from around the world.
• National Adaptation Forum (NAF): NAF is a bi-annual cross-disciplinary gathering of professionals whose main focus is addressing the challenges of climate change through adaptation awareness and action. Tribal climate resilience has been represented throughout past NAF forums. In addition to the bi-annual forum, in 2021 the NAF held a four-part Tribal & Indigenous Climate Adaptation Series that explored different climate adaptation best approaches and practices and focused on the tools and resources available to Tribal and Indigenous communities.
• Indigenous Peoples' Climate Change Working Group (IPCCWG: The Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Change Working Group (IPCCWG or the Climate Change Working Group or the Working Group) was formed in response to the need for education and research programs in climate change at Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to prepare future generations of American Indians and Alaska Natives to address climate challenges in their communities in collaboration with federal agencies and partners.
• ATNI Tribal Leaders Summit on Climate Change: The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) Tribal Leaders Summit on Climate Change brought together Tribal councils, policy leaders, Tribal staff, and federal agency representatives to discuss the challenges facing tribal communities due to climate change as well as potential actions and policies to combat these issues.

Tribal Nations Resources for Alaska Natives/Arctic #

• Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS): AOOS supports participating Alaska Native groups and individuals with coastal hazards mitigation, ecosystem and climate trends analysis, water quality monitoring, data access, regional information, special projects, and training.
• HHS Administration for Native Americans: The Administration for Native Americans provides financial assistance and capacity building, gathering and sharing of data, and advocates for improved policies within Health and Human Services and across the federal government for Tribal Nations facing increasing climate impacts.
• USACE Tribal Nations Program: USACE Regional Tribal Liaisons consult with tribes on climate change adaptation projects such as coastal erosion controls and water supply projects. It includes a Tribal Nations Community of Practice among staff to address tribal issues.

Tribal Nations Resources for Assessment & Planning #

• EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Programs: EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Programs provide technical assistance, analytical tools, and outreach support to Tribal Nations including a Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool to help Tribal communities assess their greenhouse gas emissions.

Tribal Nations Resources for Adaptation #

• EPA Tribal Portal: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tribal Portal provides access to climate and environment consultation services, the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) funding, the Tribal Science Council (TSC), and resources by region and topic to support tribes in addressing climate, environmental degradation, and related social justice issues.
• Sustainable Climate Risk Management (SCRiM: SCRiM links a transdisciplinary team of scholars at 9 research institutions, including tribal colleges, to answer the question, “What are sustainable, scientifically sound, technologically feasible, economically efficient, and ethically defensible climate risk management strategies?”
• USDA Climate Hubs: The USDA Regional Climate Hubs assist tribes to address forestry, natural resource conservation, and other land management concerns related to a changing climate. Online resources include information on climate variability and USDA program listings that provide adaptation assistance.
• USFS Climate Change Response Framework: The U.S. Forest Service Climate Response Framework is a collaborative, cross-boundary approach among scientists, managers, Tribal Nations and other landowners to incorporate climate change considerations into natural resource management. It provides an integrated set of tools, partnerships, and actions to support climate-informed conservation and forest management.

Tribal Nations Resources for Mitigation #

• DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs: The Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs provides technical assistance, project funding, training, and a variety of resources to support renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
• EPA Clean Power Plan: Tribal Nations can learn how carbon pollution from power plants causes climate change and actions they can use to address carbon pollution through policies and community actions.
• Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED): Through technical assistance, grants, and private data from tribal lands about energy, minerals, and environmental concerns, IEED helps Tribal Nations successfully develop and manage their energy and mineral resources.

Tribal Nations Resources for Disaster Risk Reduction #

• Indian Health Service (IHS): IHS is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. One of its roles is assisting in development of Environmental Sustainability Plans and supporting tribal health programs to do the same, which may include a climate component.
• USACE Tribal Nations Program: USACE Regional Tribal Liaisons consult with tribes on climate change adaptation projects such as coastal erosion controls and water supply projects. It includes a Tribal Nations Community of Practice among staff to address tribal issues.

Tribal Nations Resources for Relocation #

• Alaska Ocean Observing System: The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) supports participating Alaska Native groups and individuals with coastal hazards mitigation, ecosystem and climate trends analysis, water quality monitoring, data access, regional information, special projects, and training.
• HHS Administration for Native Americans: Administration for Native Americans provides financial assistance and capacity building, gathering and sharing of data, and advocates for improved policies within Health and Human Services and across the federal government for Tribal Nations facing increasing climate impacts.
• USACE Tribal Nations Program: USACE Regional Tribal Liaisons consult with tribes on climate change adaptation projects such as coastal erosion controls and water supply projects. It includes a Tribal Nations Community of Practice among staff to address tribal issues.

Tribal Nations Resources for Capacity Building #

• Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs): The Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network comprises the National CASC and nine regional CASCs. Through Tribal climate science liaisons and Tribal engagement strategies, the CASCs are able to work with the BIA and climate science researchers to provide training, resources, and assistance to Tribal Nations and help coordinate their inclusion in regional and national efforts to create relevant climate science data and analysis to support their needs. The U.S. Department of the Interior is currently in the process of establishing the Advisory Council for Climate Adaptation Science to advise the CASC network, which will include representation from American Indian, Alaska Native, and Indigenous organizations.
• Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA): ELOKA facilitates the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge of the Arctic. ELOKA provides data management and user support, and fosters collaboration between resident Arctic experts and visiting researchers. Through local and traditional knowledge (LTK) research and community-based monitoring, Native Alaskans who participate can make significant contributions to understanding recent environmental change.
• Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs): LCCs assist Tribal Nations that participate to better integrate science and management to address climate change and other landscape scale issues. By building a network that is holistic, collaborative, adaptive, and grounded in science, LCCs are working to ensure the sustainability of regional economic, land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources. LCCs may help tribes implement the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy at larger-scales to improve long-term resilience of reserved rights on ceded lands to hunt, fish, and gather beyond reservation boundaries.
• Sources for Climate Change Adaptation Funding and Technical Assistance: An analysis of Shaktoolik, an Alaska coastal community, including potential funding options that can help other Alaska Native and coastal communities learn of an exhaustive list of potential funding and resource partners. It also helps reveal the many components needed to complete the complex process of moving a village.