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Many Indigenous people in the United States believe the health of the land, water, and air is inseparable from human health. This is related to Tribal cultural practices like hunting, fishing, gathering, and ceremony.
This is in stark contrast to the fact that today’s Indigenous communities are being disproportionately impacted by polluting industries, pipelines, mines, and waste incinerators that poison their land, the air they breathe, the water they drink, and their health.
A complicated history
The United States forcibly removed many Indigenous people from their ancestral lands and violated treaties with Tribes. Sacred Indigenous sites have been desecrated in efforts to demoralize and disband communities. Tribal lands remain across the country despite this history.
The total number of Indigenous people in the United States today is between 2.5 and 6 million, with 20% living on Tribal lands or in Alaska Native villages. While there are 574 federally recognized Tribes, there remain unrecognized communities with deep history in the U.S.
Generations of systemic abuses of Indigenous people have led to unequal levels of chronic poverty, poor health care, and substandard housing that leave communities uniquely vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution.
The National Tribal Air Association (NTAA), one of the nation’s largest Tribal membership organizations with over 150 member Tribes, was formed in 2000 to address these health impacts. Their annual Status of Tribal Air Report (STAR) highlights the importance and impact of existing Tribal air programs.
Air pollutants impacting Indigenous communities
Indigenous adults and children have higher than average rates of many diseases linked to air pollution. Specific air pollutants known to harm Indigenous and Tribal communities include:
Wildfire smoke: Human-caused extreme heat and dry conditions on Tribal lands has led to increased wildfires.
Diesel pollution: Indigenous communities often rely on old or “legacy” fleets of diesel vehicles, generators, and other equipment that release high levels of emissions.
Indoor air pollution: Poor housing quality, lack of electricity, and inadequate ventilation can increase indoor air pollutants related to global warming, including soot (a.k.a. particle pollution) from wildfire smoke and mold related to flooding and heavy rainfall.
Proximity to industrial operations: Oil and gas wells are a prominent source of methane emissions on Tribal lands, especially in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, North Dakota, and Montana. When methane leaks from oil and gas operations, many other harmful air pollutants are also emitted. Coal plant emissions contaminate nearby water bodies, so Tribal communities in the vicinity are living with mercury advisories.
Soot pollution: According to NTAA, overall reductions of soot pollution in the U.S. are happening at a lower rate on Tribal lands. This adds to existing air quality issues from industrial operations and climate change.
Air pollution and Indigenous health
Air pollutants wreak havoc on health, harming respiratory and cardiovascular systems and increasing the risk of cognitive problems, mental health issues, as well as reproductive harms. Air pollution is responsible for over 100,000 early deaths in the U.S. each year.
Indigenous health lags behind other groups in the U.S., reflecting the cumulative toll of centuries of genocide, discrimination, and poverty: rates of certain conditions and diseases are higher and life expectancy is shorter than in the average general U.S. population.
Air pollution causes or exacerbates major health disparities in Indigenous communities including:
Asthma: Indigenous children are almost twice as likely and Indigenous adults are 10% more likely to have asthma than their non-Hispanic white counterparts.
Diabetes: As communities have moved away from eating traditional foods, diabetes has risen in Indigenous communities. Air pollution can contribute to diabetes.
Heart disease: Coronary heart disease is highly prevalent among Indigenous people in the U.S., with one large study finding nearly 50% of American Indian and Alaska Native patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Air pollution increases the risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions.
Reproductive health: Indigenous people have higher rates of teenage pregnancy and incidences of late or no prenatal care. Indigenous infants are at greater risk of preterm birth and considerably higher mortality. NTAA says air pollution has been shown to negatively affect fertility and reproductive health, potentially increasing risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery, and low birth weight.
Air pollution, climate change, and Indigenous cultural practices
Indigenous communities and Tribal land are targeted for industrial development. People living in proximity to mining, logging, and oil and gas development are exposed to high levels of air pollution. Human-caused climate change also poses unique threats to people who have historically lived in intentional harmony with nature, contributing to the loss of culture and knowledge systems, and even forcing the relocation of Indigenous communities, like those in coastal regions. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels can harm the native plants and significant wild foods Indigenous communities rely on, including medicinal crops and trees as well as “first foods” like salmon and clams.
Get involved
There’s an urgent need to improve air quality on Tribal lands— and off. Indigenous communities are impacted by pollution beyond their homelands and must be able to review and comment on rules, operating permits, and regulations governing transboundary pollution. Join Moms Clean Air Force to demand that Congress fully fund critical Tribal air quality programs.
Visit Moms Clean Air Force to learn more and advocate for stronger protections against air pollution and toxic chemicals..
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Released: July 2025