Senate Indian Affairs Committee
Native Communities and the Climate Crisis
Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, led a roundtable discussion, “Native Communities and the Climate Crisis,” to hear from Native leaders and experts from around the country on how climate change is impacting their communities, and how Congress can be partner in mitigating these impacts and developing solutions and climate resiliency.
As Schatz reflected on the panelist testimony, he noted how important it is for Congress to learn from Native communities in managing resources, adapting to climate change, and developing solutions:
“Native communities have shown us that climate solutions are not exclusively found in spreadsheets, or in tax credits, or incentives, or even in the regulatory area,” said Chairman Schatz. “It is in the actual, physical restoration of the land, and the water, and our streams, and our lakes. Native wisdom has to be incorporated into any climate policy that we have.”