Developing a National Tribal Climate Change Strategy

1. Developing a National Tribal Climate Change Strategy Jose Aguto

2. Issues • What might a National Tribal Climate Change Strategy look like? • Mitigation and Adaptation Frameworks • Implementation Challenges • What can be done now to develop it?

3. Goals • Tribal Climate Change is an institutionalized aspect of federal government climate change policy and implementation • Tribes are meaningfully informed, engaged, and supported in partnership with the federal government regarding activities related to it at all levels • Climate change impacts on tribal lands are being addressed • Tribes are participating in opportunities created by climate change strategies (e.g. renewable energy, carbon trading, adaptation solutions)

4. How might the goals be achieved? • At the highest level, creation of a White House Domestic Policy Council and/or Climate Change Council • At the agency level, interagency coordination on related tribal climate change programs • Tribal partnership, participation and advocacy at both levels • Programmatic and funding support and innovation

5. What can be done now at the federal agency level? • Develop a framework for a coordinated response • Forming, storming, norming and performing • Convene a meeting of tribal and federal representatives to develop a national climate change strategy • Identifying tribal climate change priorities • Setting a framework for the consolidation of information • Create or join a tribal climate change network • Develop or join a website providing updated information on tribal climate change activities and programs • Host a tribal climate change conference in 2009 to further efforts

6. How Might the Issues be Framed? IPCC TAR WG2 Technical Summary 6

7. Within EPA • Consolidation of tribally relevant CC resources from program offices • Increase tribal involvement in climate change research (ORD) • Increase tribal involvement in EPA voluntary and technical assistance activities (e.g. EPA SLCB, ICF) • “Pilot projects” • to protect tribal traditional lifeways (e.g. TEK transfer) • Investigate utilization of TEK for adaptation strategies • Work with Regions to assist tribes in incorporation CC aspects into their strategic plans (e.g. TEAs)

8. Mitigation and Adaptation Defined • Adaptation involves Impacts, Vulnerabilities, and Adaptive Capacity • Impacts - The effects of climate change on natural and human systems. • Vulnerability - the degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change. • Adaptation - adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. • Mitigation - implementing policies to reduce GHG emissions and enhance sinks. http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-app.pdf http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg3/ar4-wg3-annex1.pdf

9. Mitigation and Adaptation Compared IPCC FAR WG2; Burton; Klein 9

10. How The Federal Government Might Assist Tribes for Adaptation • Allow Tribal governments, elders and Tribal colleges and universities to collaborate meaningfully with the scientific community regarding impact assessments and science based tools for decision-making • Provide tribal governments with assistance to do impact and vulnerability assessments, particularly related to tribal lifeways and socio-economic impacts • Provide individual tribal governments with technical assistance and funding to undertake comprehensive tribal adaptation plans (e.g. NAPAs) • Provide individual tribal governments with the funding to implement those plans

11. Other Activities • Provide funding for the preservation of tribal cultures and the application of traditional knowledge • Catalogue, the adaptation dimensions and efforts of importance to tribes to form the basis for informed policy analysis • Providing federal regional offices with the tools and resources work with the tribes, particularly related to adaptation • Facilitate tribal partnerships with state and local governments, NGOs, and the private sector

12. Challenges regarding Adaptation

13. Direct Challenges to Tribes • Despite the resilience shown historically by Arctic indigenous communities, some traditional ways of life are being threatened and substantial investments are needed to adapt or re-locate physical structures and communities. *** • Warming in western mountains is projected to cause decreased snow pack, more winter flooding, and reduced summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources. *** http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/ IPCC WG2 SPM 2007

14. Direct Challenges to Tribes • The most vulnerable industries, settlements and societies are: • in coastal and river flood plains • with economies are closely linked with climate sensitive resources • in areas prone to extreme weather events. ** • Threats to traditional knowledge and culture due to shifts and disruptions to the habitat of culturally important species. • Breakdown results in breakdown of the culture and social order, resulting in the outbreak of social ills on a systematic level IPCC WG2 SPM, 2007 http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/ Climate Change and Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute

15. Direct Challenges for Tribes • Ecosystem structure and function, species’ ecological interactions, and species’ geographic ranges will experience major changes. The resilience of many ecosystems is likely to be exceeded. ** • Biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services (e.g., water and food supply) likely will be negatively impacted. ** • Warming of lakes and rivers in many regions will have effects on their thermal structure and water quality.** *** Very high confidence: at least 9 out of 10 ** High confidence: about 8 out of 10 http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/ IPCC WG2 SPM 2007

16. Organizational Challenges to Addressing Tribal Climate Change • Tribal Diversity – location, size, biome, population, impacts, economic, etc. • Requires a tribe by tribe effort across the nations • Currently there is no federal adaptation strategy • Relative to states, tribes have • greater dependence on federal programs • greater challenges regarding capacity inclusion and implementation of federal programs, similar to experiences with many existing environmental programs • Many adaptation issues are or will be incorporated into existing programs

17. Adaptation: the Cascade of Uncertainties Range of possible vulnerabilities and adaptive strategies constitute the next wave

18. Research Needs • Processes by which adaptation is occurring and will occur in the future. • Areas for leverage and action by government. • Progress on adaptation and assessing the direct as well as ancillary effects of adaptation measures. • Synergies and trade-offs between various adaptation measures. • Human intervention to manage the process of adaptation in biological systems. • Resilience of socio-ecological systems to climate change. • Economic and social costs and benefits of adaptation measures. IPCC FAR WG II Ch 17 p. 737

19. Research Challenges • Only a small fraction assessments of climate change impacts include comprehensive and quantitative estimates of adaptation options and their costs, benefits, and uncertainty characteristics. This information is necessary for meaningful applications of any decision analytical method. • Understanding the full implications involves areas of geosciences, ecology, economics, sociology, political science, culture, and law. IPCC TAR WG II Executive Summary Ch 2 p. 26

20. Solutions 1. Developing Adaptation Plans for Each Tribe (bottom – up) • Requires federal technical assistance and funding directly to tribes with assistance of regional federal offices 2. Advocating for tribal inclusion in federal programs for adaptation (top – down) • Requires knowledge of existing federal programs (via network, website, knowledge of and access to programs) • Organized and active participation at all federal policy making levels • Link to existing federal resources provided to states and localities (e.g. ICF, EPA SLCB) 3. Advocating the value of traditional knowledge 3. Partnering with states and localities

21. Adaptation Policy Framework United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Adaptation Policy Framework (APF) Executive Summary 21

22. Samoa National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) Indigenous Peoples and Adaptation (selected sectors)

23. The Value of Indigenous Knowledge in Efforts to Address Climate Change • Indigenous knowledge can become part of a shared learning effort to address climate-change impacts and adaptation, and its links with sustainability. • Assessing climate change • Arctic indigenous knowledge offers detailed information that adds to conventional science and environmental observations in the Artic Climate Impact Assessment • In Arctic Canada, traditional knowledge was used as part of the an assessment which recognized the implications of climate change for the ecological integrity of a large freshwater delta • Indigenous peoples of the Russian North on climate and environmental trends within the Russian boreal forest. • Weather Forecasting • Local communities and farmers in Africa have developed intricate systems of gathering, predicting, interpreting and decision-making in relation to weather. http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-xccc.pdf

24. Water Security – Indigenous Peoples in Latin America Water security - In the highlands of Latin America, indigenous peoples have been adapting since time immemorial to the irregular distribution of water. Engineering solutions include rainwater cropping, filtration and storage, and the construction of surface and underground irrigation channels. http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-xccc.pdf

25. Water Security - Hualapai Tribe * Capturing rainwater with construction of water catchments * Removing invasive species which consume precious groundwater * Bringing back endangered fish in the Colorado River Alex Cabillo: acabillo@hotmail.com

26. Water Security - Hualapai Tribe • Installation of new wells, pipelines and storage tanks for future water consumption by the tribe and wildlife • Mud Tank well drilled in 2004 • Construction of a new water pipeline to Westwater • Replacement of the Thornton Tower water pipeline • Feasibility study for filtering radioactive well water Water storage tank at Grand Canyon West Deep well at Grand Canyon West Alex Cabillo: acabillo@hotmail.com

27. Water Rights and Adaptation Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe • Purchasing water rights and dedicate ‘them’ for in-stream flows to protect biological integrity, riparian habitat, improve water quality, and allow for spawning of fish and aquatic life. • Working with upstream stakeholders to develop a watershed plan for using/ managing water to protect regional beneficial uses. • PLPT has worked since 1992 to develop the “Truckee River Operating Agreement” (TROA) with all the major stakeholders within the Truckee River watershed basin. The final TROA document should be signed by this fall. • Removal of non-native plant species that compete with native plants for water, soil nutrients, and space, and replacing them with Native ‘drought tolerant’ plants Dan Mosley: dmosley@plpt.nsn.us

28. Mitigation • Conceptually easier to understand and frame compared to mitigation • Less relevant to many tribes compared to adaptation • Opportunities for tribes (e.g. carbon trading, renewable energy) • Some mitigation strategies are controversial and will meet political resistance

31. Tribal Mitigation Efforts • Intertribal COUP installed the first utility-scale tribal wind turbine on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. (Feb 2003) • Port Graham Village (Alaskan) is assessing construction of a biomass facility using forestry waste to power their cannery. www.nativeenergy.org

32. Tribal Mitigation Efforts • Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation • began a feasibility study to analyze the viability of a 30-50 MW commercial geothermal power plant on the eastern slope of the Mt. Jefferson stratovolcano. • NativSUN Solar • Native American majority-owned organization that has installed over three hundred solar systems on the Hopi and Navajo reservations, and provides installation, maintenance, and technical support for photovoltaic systems. www.nativesun.biz

34. Efforts to Address Climate Change:National, EPA, and Tribal

35. U.S. Climate Change Policy Slowing the Growth of Emissions • Reduce GHG emissions intensity (tons/$GDP) by 18% between 2002 and 2012 • In that period, actual GHG emissions are projected to increase by 11 percent. • In 2004, U.S. GHG emissions were at 7,074.4 teragrams of carbon dioxide equivalent, an increase of 15.8 percent from 1990 levels. • By 2012, GHG emissions are projected to increase to more than 7,709 teragrams of carbon dioxide equivalent, or 26 percent above 1990 levels. • Twenty in Ten: reduce gasoline consumption by 20% over the next ten years. • 15% through renewable plus alternative fuels (~35B gallons) • 5% through vehicle efficiency improvements (~4% per year) • GHG Mobile Source proposed rule • Voluntary programs: ENERGY STAR, Methane to Markets and SmartWay Transport. http://www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/rpts/car/

36. U.S. Climate Change Policy • Climate Science and Technology • Annual investment of over $5 billion in climate change research and technology in programs such as hydrogen and fuel cells • Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and Climate Change Technology Program (CCTP) • EPA has lead on 3 reports: 1 sea-level rise (mid-Atlantic), 2) adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources and 3) human health and welfare and human systems. • International collaboration • Commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) • Collaborative work with China and India, among others (SF6 and NH4)

37. Proposed Rule on Geologic Sequestration http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_geosequest.html Geologic sequestration is a type of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) process involving the separation and capture of CO2 from an industrial or energy-related source, transporting it to a storage location, and injecting it deep underground for long-term isolation from the atmosphere.

38. EPA’s Voluntary Climate Change Programs In 2006, EPA climate change efforts prevented an estimated 100 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the annual emissions from over 60 million vehicles. • An information-sharing resource accessible to tribal governments to assist in clean energy best practices. • In 2006, Americans saved $14 billion on their energy bills and prevented GFG emissions equivalent to 25 million vehicles. www.energystar,gov www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/index.html

39. State and Local Efforts • State • THE WESTERN CLIMATE INITIATIVE (WCI) A collaboration launched in February 2007 between the Governors of AZ, CA, NM, OR, and WA to meet regional challenges raised by climate change. • Local • International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives(ICLEI) • An international membership association of over 650 cities, towns, counties, and villages worldwide (217 in the US) committed to improving global environmental conditions through local actions. ICLEI provides resources, tools, peer networking, best practices, and technical assistance to help local governments measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their communities. www.westernclimateinitiative.org www.iclei.org

41. Tribal Impacts and Activities Kuskokwim River near the Village of Kwethluk

42. Tribal Impacts • Diminishing sources of fresh water • Increased defense of water rights • Threats to indigenous species • Threats to indigenous lifeways • Loss of economically important species • Increased costs for clean water supplies • Impacts upon the health of the Elderly Climate Change and Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute

43. NewtokShoreline Erosion

44. Tribal Impacts • In August 2007, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa canceled its wild rice harvest for the first time in history because low water levels in Lake Superior had dramatically reduced the rice crop. • People on the Navajo Nation are witnessing shifts and scarcities regarding traditional and medicinal plants

45. Recommendations to Tribes • Secure sources of water for drought-impacted regions • Secure sources of food stocks for emergency conditions • Determine how culturally important plant and animal species can adapt Climate Change and Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute (Dec 06) Next Steps from participants at the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Climate Conference (Oct 06)

46. Recommendations toTribes • Develop relationships with other tribes and neighboring governments regarding • agricultural production capabilities • land use planning • emergency planning for weather related disasters • renewable energy policies • carbon emission reduction and control measures Climate Change and Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute (Dec 06) Next Steps from participants at the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Climate Conference (Oct 06)

47. Collaborative Efforts between EPA and Tribes • In Sept 2007, EPA issued an RFP for a cooperative agreement to communicate climate change impacts on, and adaptive responses in Indian Country and Alaskan Native Villages. • EPA’s Office of Water is drafting a Draft Climate Change Strategy and will be soliciting comments from tribes and other stakeholders. • EPA is consulting with Tribes on the Mobile Source GHG proposed rule and CCS/GS proposed rule

48. Future Collaborative Efforts between EPA and Tribes • EPA in partnership with Tribes, will establish an EPA Tribal Climate Change Workgroup • To ensure that tribes are informed of and consulted upon regarding EPA climate change activities • Identify and create opportunities across all relevant sectors for tribes to address climate change on tribal lands • AIEO will devote future funding for tribal climate change projects • AIEO is considering the development of a tribal climate change conference

50. Global Picture