Contact: Mollie Michel, mmichel@momscleanairforce.org, 718-536-6336
Washington, DC – To shed much-needed light on the impact of the relationship between air quality, climate change, and public health on Indigenous people, Moms Clean Air Force and the National Tribal Air Association (NTAA) have partnered to develop a new, comprehensive resource, “Air Quality in Indigenous Communities.”
Between 2.5 and 6 million Indigenous people live in the United States, where generations of systemic abuses have often led to chronic poverty, poor health care, substandard housing, and inadequate protection from sources of pollution. Air pollution causes or exacerbates almost all of the major health disparities experienced by Indigenous people, making it especially urgent to improve air quality on Tribal lands.
To launch this important resource, Moms Clean Air Force and NTAA aired a roundtable conversation about the impacts of air pollution and climate change on Indigenous communities on social media. The full recording can be found here.
Indigenous adults and children have higher rates of many diseases linked to air pollution, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). And climate change is an increasing threat to Indigenous people, as hotter temperatures and drier conditions alter traditional foodways and trigger catastrophic wildfires on and near Tribal lands.
By almost any measure, public health among Indigenous people lags behind public health among other groups. These health disparities reflect centuries of genocide, persecution, discrimination, and neglect.
“As a Dinéh Navajo mom of four, I am excited to have a resource about how air quality and climate change are impacting our Indigenous communities,” said Shaina Oliver, mother of four children, member of the Navajo Nation, and Moms Clean Air Force organizer in Denver, Colorado. “I personally struggle with asthma and know how hard it is to breathe when the air quality is poor. It’s unacceptable that Indigenous moms and babies are disproportionately impacted by air pollution and climate change. My hope is that this resource will inspire other Indigenous families to speak up for the health of the next seven generations.”
“This fact sheet and our partnership with Moms helps elevate the air quality and climate change priorities for Tribes around the nation,” said Carol Kriebs, Chairwoman of the NTAA’s Executive Committee. “For countless generations, Tribes have provided stewardship for the water, lands, and air quality, and this fact sheet helps illustrate how air pollution disproportionately impacts Tribal communities and the work that Tribes do to help make sure we all have cleaner air to breathe.”
About the National Tribal Air Association: The National Tribal Air Association advances air quality management policies and programs, consistent with the needs, interests, and unique legal status of American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives. NTAA was founded in 2002 with a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation. NTAA is one of the nation’s largest Tribal membership organizations with over 150 member Tribes and governed by an Executive Committee of two Tribal leaders from each EPA region and Alaska. NTAA is staffed by Northern Arizona University’s Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals.