Report finds barriers for NW coastal tribes responding to climate change

Coastal tribes in the Northwest are on the front lines of the changing climate but face barriers to responding to its effects.

A new report collected testimony directly from tribal members to hear what their biggest hurdles are. Sea level rise is already pushing some tribes from the coast of Washington.

Meade Krosby, senior scientist in the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington, one of the organizations behind the report, said tribes have been at the forefront of adapting to climate change but their biggest barriers stem from accessing funds to address the scale of the issue.

“The tribes are having to navigate really a maze of different pots of money that are spread out across different agencies and departments and units within federal government agencies,” Krosby explained. “They’re having to chase down these funds.”

The report was compiled with input from listening sessions with members from 13 tribal nations on the Washington and Oregon coasts. It identified five key barriers to greater adaptation to climate change, including funding, staffing and technical expertise.

Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, the 2022 federal climate action law, could help speed up tribes’ responses. The Tribal Coastal Resilience program associated with the University of Washington recently received $3.4 million for coastal readiness projects.

Amelia Marchand, senior tribal climate resilience liaison for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, also worked on the report.

“We’re hoping that those funding opportunities will be less of a burden, a little bit more supportive to the flexible and timely needs that tribes have,” Marchand noted.

Even with the funding, Marchand stressed climate change is accelerating, worsening the conditions for tribes.

“Swift action is really needed to ramp up the response and to have it occur in a manner that’s coordinated and respectful of tribal sovereignty, tribal self-determination and tribal rights,” Marchand emphasized.