The theme of the National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) this year was Environmental Action in Native Communities. The 24th annual event, held in Cherokee, North Carolina, was full of conversations, workshops, and panels centered on Indigenous people and the environment, specifically local and national efforts to advance air quality protection and climate change awareness.
Tell EPA: Do Not Delay on Ozone Pollution
Moms Clean Air Force’s Colorado Organizer Shaina Oliver, an Indigenous peoples’ rights advocate, as well as Almeta Cooper, our National Manager for Health Equity, attended and hosted a session. They shared some of our own work at the intersection of climate, clean air, and children’s health with an emphasis on our efforts as an ally of the National Tribal Air Association (NTAA). Panelists at the session included Angela Benedict of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Region 2, a member of the NTAA executive committee; Dr. Jennifer Runkle, an environmental epidemiologist at North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies; and Katie Tiger, Air Quality Program Supervisor for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. A few topics addressed included:
Indigenous engagement
Panelists shared ways to engage moms, dads, and caregivers in improving children’s health in Indigenous communities related to the environment, air quality, extreme heat, wildfire, and particle pollution, or soot. In particular, they talked about their experiences with EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. Some school districts have already benefited from the program. Discussion included barriers to accessing the program and possible improvements going forward.
Funding for Tribes
“Tribes don’t receive the same amount of funding as states or other school districts that are non-Native,” says Shaina, explaining the federal government essentially gives all Tribes a pool of money to split. “There are 574 Tribes and only 156 participate in the NTAA Tribal Air Associates working on Tribal air monitoring and climate mitigation programs.” In 2023, the largest award of Tribal Climate Resilience Awards was made by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the amount of $121 million for climate adaptation and resilience projects. Attendees discussed their awareness of and experience with this funding, especially regarding school projects. While the yearly Status of Tribal Air Report (STAR) was not released in 2023, partially owing to funding issues, it should be released soon and will provide understanding about the importance and impact of Tribal air programs.
Indigenous health concerns
Medical conditions affecting children and families in Tribal communities at higher levels than the general U.S. population include asthma, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and dementia. Respiratory illnesses, especially with regard to outdoor air pollutants increased by climate change, including ground-level ozone, soot pollution in wildfire smoke, and dust from droughts, are also a critical issue. Read more about the health impacts of air pollution on Indigenous communities in our fact sheet.
Reflecting on Indigenous culture and the environment at NTFAQ 2024
Both Shaina and Almeta were struck by historian Thomas Belt’s presentations at NTFAQ. An elder of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Thomas spoke about the interconnection between history, culture, and environmental justice. “He explained how his mother’s knowledge helped his family make a connection to land,” recalls Shaina, adding that ancestral knowledge and observations haven’t been adequately respected by the U.S. government. “Tribes have accumulated knowledge in science that can be applied to governance with the understanding of all forms of life, air, and water. Tribes hold generations of understanding.”
Angela Benedict also spoke about a loss of connection to traditional Indigenous knowledge at the forum—and the need to bring it back into communities. The neglect and noninclusion of Tribes and their specific knowledge is why, Shaina says, “we’re in the predicament of land we are in.”
These conversations at NTFAQ will stay with Shaina in her daily role as an advocate, pushing for Tribes to be included in all climate discussions, including those about science, solutions, policy, and funding. “Tribes need to be included at every level of government-to-government actions and to have direct funding for Tribal regulatory air and climate programs.”