US Tribe’s Battle against Climate Change

 

For several years, Fawn¹ Sharp has seen her tribe on the west coast of the United States move from one crisis to another.

Sharp lives in Washington state and belongs to the Quinault Indian Nation. Rising sea levels have caused flooding in the tribe's main village. In nearby rivers, sockeye salmon² have all but disappeared. The shrinking numbers of fish have affected³ the tribe's finances and culture.

Sharp is president of the Quinault. She has plans to move the tribe to higher ground, bring back the salmon and change the local economy. But these plans are slow at taking shape, and Sharp blames a lack of federal money to help Native Americans deal with climate change.

The Quinault's struggles reflect the problems faced by Native Americans, who are among those most at risk to the effects of climate change. That is a finding from a report called the National Climate Assessment⁴. It was a project of U.S. federal agencies.

The report says Native Americans often depend on nature for food, jobs and trade. Southwestern tribes, such as the Navajo Nation, face water shortages as the Colorado River dries up. Some northern tribes are experiencing crop shortages because Lake Superior is warming.

Money needed

Tribes are finding it difficult to get the equipment they need to deal with increasing threats from storms, flooding, wildfires and other natural disasters. They do not have the money to buy the equipment, and the federal government offers little help.

The Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs provides $10 million a year for tribal⁵ climate resilience planning nationwide. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides another $20 million to tribes under a program to protect communities from natural disasters.

That is not enough money when spread among more than 500 tribes, notes Fawn Sharp. She has made climate change the top issue in her new job as president of the National Congress of American Indians, which represents 535 registered tribes.

In addition to pressing federal officials for more support, Sharp is targeting the businesses that cause pollution and climate damage. To finance the move of some tribe members, she plans to ask for a carbon tax for companies doing business on the reservation. The measure would make her tribe the first in the United States to price carbon.

Sharp is also considering legal action against big oil companies she believes should help pay the cost for climate-damage.

"Those who are...responsible for causing the damage should be paying," she said, for "generations of exploitation."

An oil industry group would not comment on possible legal action. It said only that oil companies and tribes should be "working with each other and not against each other."

Disappearing salmon

Shane Underwood directs the Quinault Indian Nation's fish processing center in Taholah, Washington. On a recent morning, she grew frustrated⁷ by another small catch of fish. A single fisherman had arrived with five salmon after spending hours on the river.

The salmon is important to Quinault culture. It is often used in artwork and on tribal buildings. It is the traditional meal for families. Now, it is at the center of the issue of climate change.

A glacier⁸ in the Olympic mountains once cooled the Quinault river system, but it melted nine years ago. The river has warmed, leading to problems for the salmon, explained Justin James. He is a cultural historian who specializes in forest, fish and wildlife for the Quinault Environmental Protection Department.

The Quinault's Business Committee is trying to increase the salmon population. It also is launching a $1.2 million project to improve the floodplain on the Upper Quinault River in hopes of creating a better salmon environment.

"We have been eating the salmon for thousands of years," James said. "It's our spirit, our heart."

Higher ground

The Quinault Nation is trying to defeat another threat – flooding of its village.

In 2017, the Quinault agreed on a plan to move nearly 700 people and some important buildings to higher ground. The whole relocation project will cost up to $150 million.

Some work has already begun in the new village, using $15 million worth of tribal money. But finishing the entire relocation project is costly⁹, and the tribe does not have the money. A bill asking Washington state to pay for part of the move was defeated in the legislature.

"That was probably the lowest point I had hit in all my years of this climate struggle," said Sharp.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

reflect – v. to demonstrate or show

reservation – n. land given to Native Americans for their homeland

resilience – n. strength and fortitude¹⁰

carbon – n. a chemical element that is found in oil products and leads to pollution

exploitation – n. the use of something or someone in a way that helps you unfairly

frustrate⁶ – v. to annoy

1 fawn   

n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承

参考例句：

• A fawn behind the tree looked at us curiously.树后面一只小鹿好奇地看着我们。
• He said you fawn on the manager in order to get a promotion.他说你为了获得提拔，拍经理的马屁。

2 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 frustrate   

v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦

参考例句：

• But this didn't frustrate Einstein.He was content to go as far as he could.但这并没有使爱因斯坦灰心，他对能够更深入地研究而感到满意。
• They made their preparations to frustrate the conspiracy.他们作好准备挫败这个阴谋。

7 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 fortitude   

n.坚忍不拔；刚毅

参考例句：

• His dauntless fortitude makes him absolutely fearless.他不屈不挠的坚韧让他绝无恐惧。
• He bore the pain with great fortitude.他以极大的毅力忍受了痛苦。