Is the Climate Crisis Racist?

How racism, classism, and sexism in the United States make the climate crisis worse for disadvantaged communities

Stronger hurricanes. Superstorms. Droughts. Ice storms. Wildfires. Melting glaciers and permafrost. The climate crisis, along with deforestation and commercial mining, is making all of these weather events even worse. 

Who suffers the most when these disasters hit? Disadvantaged communities. These are groups who lack the basic resources necessary for an equal position in society. They include African Americans, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC); undocumented immigrants; low-income people and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) communities.

Superstorms and hurricanes bring flooding along with heavy winds. Disadvantaged communities tend to live in less storm-resistant buildings often located in more flood-prone areas. Droughts mostly affect Native American peoples, since this population has cultural traditions that involve raising livestock, which is reliant on the availability of water. Ice storms mostly impact urban areas with higher concentrations of utilities and high populations of low-income neighborhoods of color. Vulnerability to wildfire is up to 50% greater amongst Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities. Melting glaciers and permafrost are flooding coastal communities and threatening the fishing grounds of indigenous tribes in Alaska. Finally, existing legislation does little to protect the natural resources of indigenous communities from mining and deforestation. Due to their shortage of disposable income, disadvantaged communities often cannot evacuate to safer areas, purchase supplies to help them adapt, or buy insurance for natural disasters because of the financial cost.

QUICK FACTS

  1. Disadvantaged communities can be described as communities that lack the basic resources believed to be necessary for an equal position in society. Such resources include standard housing, medical and educational facilities, civil rights, and equitable income. Disadvantaged communities may experience environmental racism, which is the unequal access to a clean environment and basic environmental resources based on race.

    Disadvantaged communities include African Americans, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC); undocumented immigrants; low-income people and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) communities. These communities share similar socioeconomic characteristics that make them more vulnerable to climate change as well as characteristics specific to their minority group. Learn more
  2. Super storms affect disadvantaged communities significantly in every way. Before the storm, disadvantaged communities are set up for disproportionately higher damage and mortality rates because of older or less storm resistant buildings, including less infrastructure to mitigate flooding. Often, low-income housing and public housing is built in areas more prone to flooding because the riskier land is cheaper. Despite living on more flood-prone land, most in the disadvantaged communities cannot afford flood insurance since being in higher risk areas increases the insurance cost. Disadvantaged communities also cannot evacuate/move far away to safer areas because of the financial cost.

    After a storm, damaged houses must be repaired, which adds additional costs that families living paycheck to paycheck cannot afford. They also cannot afford to improve the house to make it more storm durable. Often, grants given to rebuild homes based on property value don’t actually end up fully paying for the repair costs and can be $75,000 short in some cases. 

    Despite the common belief that acts of nature affect everyone equally, the conditions people are living in normally greatly affect how quickly they are able to bounce back after a superstorm. For some in disadvantaged communities, the conditions they have been forced to live in because of their financial situation expose them to more danger and more expenses, making storms extremely hard to recover from. Learn more
  3. Droughts and ice storms have increased effects on disadvantaged communities. Droughts mostly affect Native American peoples since this population has cultural traditions that involve raising livestock, which is reliant on the availability of water. Additionally, factors such as coal mining put a drain on water resources, which if not replenished, can accelerate drought conditions.

    Ice storms mostly affect the Midwest and Northeast areas of the country and mostly impact urban areas, since these areas have a higher concentration of utilities and public transportation. The populations mostly affected are Black and Hispanic communities, as these neighborhoods tend to have older homes with bad insulation, leaky roofs, and older pipes. This, along with the inability to purchase generators or book hotel rooms when there is a loss of power, makes this weather phenomenon especially devastating. Learn more
  4. Black, Hispanic, Native American, rural, low income, and immigrant communities might not have the same access to community resources, eligibility to federal assistance as renters, or be able to afford insurance, mitigation services, rebuilding, or to relocate. Housing quality can put communities at greater risk for more intense fires from maintenance issues or crowding in apartments or farm worker dormitories. Housing availability, fuel affordability, and lack of transportation during and after a wildfire is a problem faced by these communities. 

    Vulnerability to wildfire is up to 50% greater amongst Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities. Over 29 million Americans face the risk of experiencing wildfires. Of these people, 12 million are in disadvantaged communities. This context is what changes an environmental hazard into a disaster. Learn More
  5. Sea level rise will have a dramatic impact on all coastal populations. The difference for disadvantaged communities is that 99% of their land is unlikely to be protected. These areas are much more likely to be abandoned, forcing these communities to retreat despite not having the resources to do so. Fishing for Alaskan tribes is already being impacted, threatening their livelihood and lifestyle. This will only worsen over time as more permafrost is affected. Learn more
  6. Prior to European settlement in the U.S., there was no mineral extraction, and forestry was managed in a sustainable manner. Because of this, wildfires were less robust than they are now, and rivers and lakes remained untainted. 

    Not only did settling Europeans push Native Americans off their lands, they ruined the forests, water, cultural sites, and traditional hunting grounds. The mining industry’s impact on the Native American communities is well documented, and the legislative structures in place to protect water, lands and Native American tribes are inadequate and ineffective. 

    Research suggests that Native American-managed forestry has less impact, greater profit and better sustainability than non-native owned companies. Learn more
  7. Get involved

LEARN MORE

Disadvantaged communities can be described as communities that lack the basic resources believed to be necessary for an equal position in society. Such resources include standard housing, medical and educational facilities, civil rights, and equitable income.  Disadvantaged communities may experience environmental racism, which is the unequal access to a clean environment and basic environmental resources based on race.

Disadvantaged communities include African Americans, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC); undocumented immigrants; low-income people and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) communities. These communities share similar socioeconomic characteristics that make them more vulnerable to climate change as well as characteristics specific to their minority group.

Definition of Disadvantaged Communities
State laws generally describe disadvantaged communities as “a community with an annual median household income that is less than 80 percent of the statewide annual median household income.” This definition takes into account the economically disadvantaged, but does not address the socially disadvantaged. A more inclusive definition describes such communities as “lacking in the basic resources or conditions (such as standard housing, medical and educational facilities, and civil rights) believed to be necessary for an equal position in society.” Disadvantaged communities may experience environmental racism, which is the “unequal access to a clean environment and basic environmental resources based on race.”  1 | 2 | 3

  • African Americans are affected through air quality. Many African Americans live near natural gas facilities where methane gases and other toxic chemicals heavily infiltrate the atmosphere. This has been the cause of many health issues, such as asthma. In fact, African American children who suffer from asthma are 13.4% compared to 7.3% of white children. As a result of unclean air, over one million African Americans are at a “‘cancer risk above EPA’s level of concern [which is a cancer risk of one in one million]’” and more than 6.7 million African Americans live in or near communities with oil refineries. In short, a total of 75% African Americans more than whites live in areas “near commercial facilities that produce noise, odor, traffic, or emissions that directly affect the population.” 4
  • Indigenous communities share the following characteristics: 5
    • Living in rural areas or places most affected by climate change including those who live in coastal areas.
    • Relying on the surrounding environment and natural resources for food, cultural practices, and income.
    • Coping with higher levels of existing health risks when compared to other groups.
    • Having high rates of uninsured individuals, who have difficulty accessing quality health care.
    • Living in isolated or low income communities.
    • The health of Indigenous tribes is also at risk. They already have difficulty accessing safe drinking water and wastewater treatment. Much of their health risks are due to contaminated water, which reduces the availability of water and food, especially during drought.  To further complicate the situation, healthcare is not readily accessible.
    • Given that much of their cultural identities are connected to living off the land, their way of life is also at risk.  As plants and animals become less available, their culture and the very essence of who they are will be greatly affected.
    • For indigenous communities, ocean acidification has a major impact.  Ocean acidification is when the natural PH of ocean water is lowered by CO2 levels.  This negatively impacts plants and animals.  Indigenous communities rely on the seafood from the ocean and waterways for their livelihood as well as their food for survival. 3
  • Immigrant communities, specifically undocumented immigrants, suffer many of the same vulnerabilities to climate change that other POC and poor communities suffer.
    • The main way the US will be affected is by the influx of immigrants refugees fleeing their home countries due to climate change, in addition to the poverty and violence they are already fleeing. 6
    • Undocumented immigrants are vulnerable in natural disasters, such as in the California wildfires, by not having access to government relief efforts and resources due to their undocumented status. 7
    • Difficulties with language barriers have a huge impact on immigrants and their accessibility to resources. 7
    • Undocumented farmworkers suffer hardship by working outdoors for long hours, often without personal protective equipment, in a rush to save employer crops.  Further, their undocumented status denies them access to unemployment insurance and other governmental resources, making it financially impossible for them to leave their jobs, etc. 7
  • Low-income communities are impacted the most by climate change. Most disadvantaged communities are low-income communities. 
    • Both urban and rural poor communities have a high rate of health issues and are more exposed to environmental hazards. Low-income communities are unable to prepare or avoid these health conditions due to a lack of health insurance, resources, information and institutions. They are more likely to live near or in polluted areas in urban areas. Rural areas rely mostly on agricultural economies that will suffer as a result of climate change, leaving their livelihoods particularly vulnerable. 8
  • LGBTQ+ communities face discrimination and poverty that will make the affect of climate change even worse. There are other factors that worsen their plight. 9
    • Many are homeless and have limited access to healthcare.
    • They face social isolation and harassment in emergency shelters.
    • They do not have the money to buy food and water, much less the ability to pack up and move.
    • Discrimination plays a hugh role in the ability to access aid and jobs. 10
    • The LGBTQ+ community face similar environmental injustices as that of racial communities, especially regarding healthcare accessibility.  A study in the journal Social Science & Medicine found that “cancer and respiratory risks from hazardous air pollutants” for same-sex partners are 12.3% and 23.8% greater, respectively for female and male same-sex relationships, than for heterosexual partners. 11
    • LGBTQ+ are excluded from appropriate relief, response, and recovery efforts in natural disasters. Discriminatory policy and a pervasive culture of social stigma render LGBTQ+ individuals powerless in a response to the inequity. 12
  • Women face an increased risk of domestic violence and reproductive health problems in the wake of climate-fueled disasters because they are more likely to be poor and, therefore, unable to evacuate. 13
    1. Women in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi were more likely to suffer from stress and incidents of domestic violence following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
    2. Pregnant women affected by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were more likely to suffer from fetal stress, low birth weight, and general fetal abnormalities due to emotional trauma.
    3. Women in the Rocky Mountains are more likely to suffer from smoke inhalation during wildfires.
    4. Women in Southern California are more likely to suffer from heat-related health emergencies during extreme heat waves.
    5. Pregnant women, especially from BIPOC backgrounds, in 16 California counties are more likely to experience preterm birth due to exposure to extreme heat.

Super storms affect disadvantaged communities significantly in every way. Before the storm, disadvantaged communities are set up for disproportionately higher damage and mortality rates because of older or less storm resistant buildings, including less infrastructure to mitigate flooding. Often, low-income housing and public housing is built in areas more prone to flooding because the riskier land is cheaper. Despite living on more flood-prone land, most in the disadvantaged communities cannot afford flood insurance since being in higher risk areas increases the insurance cost. Disadvantaged communities also cannot evacuate/move far away to safer areas because of the financial cost.

After a storm, damaged houses must be repaired, which adds additional costs that families living paycheck to paycheck cannot afford. They also cannot afford to improve the house to make it more storm durable. Often, grants given to rebuild homes based on property value don’t actually end up fully paying for the repair costs and can be $75,000 short in some cases. 

Despite the common belief that acts of nature affect everyone equally, the conditions people are living in normally greatly affect how quickly they are able to bounce back after a superstorm. For some in disadvantaged communities, the conditions they have been forced to live in because of their financial situation expose them to more danger and more expenses, making storms extremely hard to recover from.

Safety 1

  • Disadvantaged communities often have increased mortality due to lack of protective infrastructure and financial ability to relocate.
    • While every age and socioeconomic group had excess deaths, those living in areas of lower socioeconomic development were at a 45% higher risk of death (with the number of excess deaths being 2,975 people for September 2017 through February 2018)
  • Disadvantaged communities are also more likely to live in floodplains because the land is deemed less valuable.
    • The east side of Harris county in Houston, TX is significantly less protected because it has less flood prevention infrastructure. The Manchester neighborhood in that area is 90% Hispanic. 

Housing 2

  • Housing for disadvantaged communities is usually constructed at a lower quality because the people living in the houses do not have the financial means to build more storm-resistant houses. This results in flooding during and after a hurricane or superstorm. 
  • Low-income housing is often built in floodplains because it is the least expensive land. 
    • As of 2017, 5% of all public US housing units and 4% of U.S. privately-owned subsidized rental units were on a 100-year floodplain (which means each year FEMA estimates there is a 1% chance of flooding) and 9% of all public US housing units and 8% of U.S. privately-owned subsidized rental units were on the 100-year floodplain and the 500-year flood plain (which means all these units have at least a 0.2% chance of flooding each year)
      • However, land that was historically marked as a 100-year floodplain is now likely to flood about every 1-30 years due to sea level rise and destructive tropical cyclones. 3
      • it should also be noted that the 100- and 500-year floodplains represent an average. A home that is closer to a flood source could be on a 50- or 25-year floodplain. 

Long-term growth 4

  • Flood insurance costs more money in the high flood risk areas that disadvantaged communities often live in so the people there often do not have flood insurance which can set families back years as they continuously pay repair costs. 
    • In Texas, the average cost of flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program is $500 a year, however, in homes located in a flood plain, it can rise to $2000 a year. 
      • According to the Washington Post only “17 percent of homeowners in the eight counties most directly affected by [Hurricane] Harvey have flood insurance policies.” 

Migration 5

  • Cities with a high risk of storms tend to have higher outward migration trends. Most of the people migrating are those who can afford to move, leaving people who cannot afford to relocate left in the area. When there are fewer economically stable people in the area, there is less demand for goods and services, which leads to fewer jobs and lower paying jobs for those who remain. 
    • Additionally, the value of the house will go down as the demand for housing in that area lowers. 

Rebuilding 6

  • Low-income people are more affected by storms because it disrupts businesses’ ability to run. Sometimes people cannot get to work, or businesses are forced to close entirely. For people who live paycheck to paycheck without any significant savings, this is financially devastating.
  • After Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, the amount given to African American homeowners was on average $8,000 less than white homeowners. 
    • In New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, which has not yet recovered from Katrina, the gap between damages inflicted and grants received based on property value was as much as $75,000.
    • 55 percent of the storm-surge victims in New York City were very-low-income renters, whose incomes averaged $18,000 per year.
  • In 2016, it was estimated that federal spending “exceeded $110 billion in response to [Hurricane] Katrina and $53 billion in response to [Superstorm] Sandy. In 2018, we reported that Congress and the President have also provided federal agencies with at least $120 billion in supplemental appropriations for activities related to natural disasters in 2017, including Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.” 5

Droughts and ice storms have increased effects on disadvantaged communities. Droughts mostly affect Native American peoples since this population has cultural traditions that involve raising livestock, which is reliant on the availability of water. Additionally, factors such as coal mining put a drain on water resources, which if not replenished, can accelerate drought conditions.

Ice storms mostly affect the Midwest and Northeast areas of the country and mostly impact urban areas, since these areas have a higher concentration of utilities and public transportation. The populations mostly affected are Black and Hispanic communities, as these neighborhoods tend to have older homes with bad insulation, leaky roofs, and older pipes. This, along with the inability to purchase generators or book hotel rooms when there is a loss of power, makes this weather phenomenon especially devastating.

Shortages of precipitation due to low soil moisture or water supply negatively affect the function of the ecosystem.

  • Increases in evapotranspiration (water being transferred from land and plants to the atmosphere) affect storage changes in soil and groundwater.
  • Reduced precipitation and/or increased evapotranspiration are the main drivers for soil moisture and water supply droughts. 1
  • History shows that regular droughts are more typical for the Southeast. 2
  • Climate change is not the only cause of the region drying up. 3

What is the effect of drought on disadvantaged communities?

  • Women of the Navajo Nation are having difficulty passing down important cultural traditions of livestock-raising. 3
  • More than 1.3 billion people are living on agricultural land that is deteriorating, increasing the risks of hunger, water shortages, and poverty, the majority of which rely on agriculture and natural resources to survive. 4 | 5
  • Conflict is the primary cause of poverty and suffering in the world today and it’s exacerbated by climate change. These conflicts (sometimes violent) result over competition for resources that occur with changes in rainfall, increasing competition for remaining land that is capable of being plowed and used for crops. 5

There are three winter weather patterns that tend to favor freezing rain in the Midwest and Northeast: 

  1. “Urban areas tend to suffer more economic and physical damage than rural areas because of the concentration of utilities and transportation systems…” 6
  2. Ice accumulation can affect power outages, as well as road, train, and air travel, including associated economic costs due to lost hours as workers are unable to travel.
  3. Ice storms also provide a significant risk to human health and life, with falling debris and slippery surfaces being primary threats. 7

What is the effect of ice storms on disadvantaged communities?

  • Neighborhoods with mostly Black and Hispanic residents tend to have older homes with poor insulation, leaking roofs, and older pipes. These structural problems make them less likely to withstand extreme weather. Historically, communities that are marginalized (Black or Brown) tend to be the ones that are hit the hardest in regards to power outages. 8

Black, Hispanic, Native American, rural, low income, and immigrant communities might not have the same access to community resources, eligibility to federal assistance as renters, or be able to afford insurance, mitigation services, rebuilding, or to relocate. Housing quality can put communities at greater risk for more intense fires from maintenance issues or crowding in apartments or farm worker dormitories. Housing availability, fuel affordability, and lack of transportation during and after a wildfire is a problem faced by these communities. 

Vulnerability to wildfire is up to 50% greater amongst Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities. Over 29 million Americans face the risk of experiencing wildfires. Of these people, 12 million are in disadvantaged communities. This context is what changes an environmental hazard into a disaster.

Over 29 million Americans face the potential for extreme wildfires. 12 million of these people are from disadvantaged communities. 1

  • Black, Latino, and indigenous peoples are 50% more vulnerable to wildfires than white or affluent Asian American people.
  • People who cannot afford wildfire mitigation practices, like tree trimming and brush removal, as well as insurance or the financial means to rebuild, face a higher risk of displacement from wildfires.

The status quo favors high-income wildfire victims over those closer to or below the poverty level. 1

  • Most federal disaster assistance goes to homeowners. Renters, by contrast, are not eligible for most of this aid.
  • After the wildfires in Sonoma County, California in October 2017, landlords briefly got away with price gouging, which is illegal in the state. It wasn’t  until April 2018 that then-Attorney General Xavier Becerra charged them. For these six months, however, the drastic increases in prices worsened a housing shortage that had existed before the fires. 1 | 2

Housing and transportation access determine who is most likely to recover from wildfires or even survive.

  • The escape routes in apartments, migrant farmers’ dormitories, and other multi-unit housing complexes can become overcrowded in an emergency. 1
  • Landlords of rental units are less likely to engage in fire mitigation due to the lack of resources like public cost-sharing programs, which would encourage them to do so. 3
  • People who do not own their own vehicles, cannot afford local fuel prices, or lack nearby access to public transportation face difficulty leaving evacuation zones. 1

Lower levels of formal education and English proficiency decrease the likelihood of recovering from a wildfire.

  • People with higher levels of education are more likely to know where to access the necessary disaster recovery information. 4
  • No laws exist in the U.S. that require emergency and recovery information to be communicated in any other language than English. 5
    • During a 2014 wildfire in eastern Washington state, Latino farmworkers did not receive timely evacuation information because the only Spanish-language radio station in the area did not receive emergency information. 6
    • In 2017, emergency broadcast outlets in Northern California and Santa Barbara, which have significant Latino populations, struggled to release up-to-date bilingual information. 1 | 5

Indigenous peoples face particular vulnerability due to current economic hardships, as well as historical oppression.

  • Many indigenous reservations are located in wildfire-prone areas. 1 
  • Indigenous peoples living on reservations are more likely to experience severe poverty, making utilities a luxury. By extension, many reservation inhabitants lack access to radios, television, and internet services that provide necessary emergency information. 7

Sea level rise will have a dramatic impact on all coastal populations. The difference for disadvantaged communities is that 99% of their land is unlikely to be protected. These areas are much more likely to be abandoned, forcing these communities to retreat despite not having the resources to do so. Fishing for Alaskan tribes is already being impacted, threatening their livelihood and lifestyle. This will only worsen over time as more permafrost is affected.

Areas of higher social vulnerability are much more likely to be abandoned than protected in response to sea level rise (SLR). 3 

  • Approximately 1.6 million people will be affected by SLR by the year 2100. Among the most vulnerable are 332,000 people.
  • In the Gulf region of the United States, over 99% of the most socially vulnerable people live in areas unlikely to be protected from flooding.
  • “The populations that reside in coastal communities will be faced with three general options in response to SLR risks: 1) hold back the sea [through such projects as land reclamation or building sea walls], 2) accommodate a receding shoreline, or 3) retreat.”

There are concerns from Alaska in particular about the impacts of permafrost melt on erosion, water quality, contaminants, and infrastructure.

  • Permafrost “plays an essential role in the Arctic ecosystem by making the ground watertight and maintaining the vast network of wetlands and lakes across the Arctic tundra that provide habitat for animals and plants” 4
  • [Permafrost melt] can lead to erosion of soils from terrestrial uplands followed by deposition into rivers and lakes. These effects of permafrost thaw can alter the physical structure of streams and rivers, which can improve or deteriorate habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms. 5
  • Soils in the northern permafrost region store large amounts of organic carbon. … Much of this carbon has been locked away for thousands of years in the permafrost. When permafrost thaws, a fraction of this old carbon can be released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane gas, accelerating climate warming. A smaller fraction of this thawed, old carbon can also be released to aquatic ecosystems as dissolved or particulate organic matter…, affecting water clarity, acidity, and trace metal transport (such as mercury) to streams. 5
    • Changing hydrology and stream chemistry associated with permafrost thaw will likely impact fish in Arctic rivers. This will affect tribes along the Yukon River, who are already facing devastating decreases in salmon, leaving a hole in their lifestyle and businesses. 6
  • “About 35 million people live in towns and cities built in a permafrost zone … on top of what was once considered permanently frozen ground. [A]s that solid ground softens, the infrastructure these communities rely on grows increasingly unstable.” 7
    • The cost of repairing Alaskan public infrastructure damaged by thawing permafrost and other climate-related factors could be as much as $5.5 billion by the end of this century. 7
    • Permafrost is almost 80% of Alaskan land. Some climate models project the complete loss of near-surface permafrost from large parts of Alaska by the end of this century. 8,
      • Alaska is home to 229 federally recognized tribes, 40% of the total U.S. tribal population. Melting permafrost is threatening the health, economy, and culture of Alaska Native peoples, despite their history of living close to the land and adapting to natural changes. Climate change is pushing Alaska Native communities to retreat and relocate away from climate-battered areas, but this is difficult, in part due to high costs and limited availability of funds to use for relocation.

Prior to European settlement in the U.S., there was no mineral extraction, and forestry was managed in a sustainable manner. Because of this, wildfires were less robust than they are now, and rivers and lakes remained untainted. 

Not only did settling Europeans push Native Americans off their lands, they ruined the forests, water, cultural sites, and traditional hunting grounds. The mining industry’s impact on the Native American communities is well documented, and the legislative structures in place to protect water, lands and Native American tribes are inadequate and ineffective. 

Research suggests that Native American-managed forestry has less impact, greater profit and better sustainability than non-native owned companies.

Historically, European settlement and expansion (in what is now the United States) for the pursuit of mining minerals, particularly gold, decimated the indigenous populations by stealing their land, spreading disease, violence and impacts to their natural ecosystems that supported hunter-gathering life. 1

  • As time went on, it became clear that mineral extraction methods (and other industrial activities) have impacts on water quality if not properly managed. As a result, in 1948, Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. This law was reformed in 1972 and is now called the Clean Water Act (CWA), which regulates the discharge of contaminants into water without consent. 2
  • Unfortunately, loopholes exist in the CWA, allowing toxic discharges to occur from mining, particularly hard rock mining, impacting indigenous communities across the United States. 3
  • Native American communities are most vulnerable to the impacts of mining due to living more rurally, thus having less access to resources to address the impacts. Their communities also tend to be more impoverished, further limiting their resources. 
  • Examples of hardrock mining impacting Native American communities:
    • The Native American community of Fort Belknap in Montana is seeking an investigation into illegal land reclamation of their reservation by the Zortman-Landusky mine. 4
      • They filed a complaint with the Office of Inspector alleging the government has failed to renew the mineral withdrawal from the mine which threatens the conservation efforts by the tribe and community to clean up pollution caused by the mine. 5
    • At the Bunker Hill mine in Idaho, 75 million tons of sludge was discharged into Lake Coeur d’Alene which was contaminated with heavy metals such as lead and zinc. 6 
      • The discharge has impacted local tribes and communities by destroying the water, and evidence shows concentrations of lead appearing in the bloodstream of people. 7
      • The 1983 discharge is so widespread it has migrated via the Spokane River to Eastern Washington, impacting  downstream watersheds, which has required remediation efforts ever since by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This has become the 2nd largest superfund site in the country. 8
    • The Midnite mine, another superfund site in eastern Washington, has left a trail of contaminated land on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The Midnite mine is for uranium, thus the EPA has been cleaning up Radium-226, a potentially cancer-causing metal. 9

Deforestation causes environmental impacts and exacerbates climate change. Some methods of deforestation are more harmful than others; however, all have negative impacts. These include: clear cutting, selective logging, slash-and-burn and controlled burning. Deforestation practices degrade soils, robbing topsoil of their nutrients, impacting biodiversity of areas around those forests, and inducing erosion. This makes land more difficult to farm. It also increases sediment discharges into waterways, killing aquatic species and large invertebrates. The leading cause of deforestation is agribusiness, particularly for soy and cattle production, but other major causes are farming, mining, urban expansion, and creating wood products. 10

  • Unsustainable forest management has induced wildfires, impacting Native American tribes. Some have sued the US government, alleging failure to fulfill its duties in protecting the tribes and forests. A 2015 wildfire burned more than 240,000 acres of the Colville reservation, which the tribes relied upon for timber harvesting revenue. 11
  • Research shows that indigenous (Native American) traditional forest management practices are more sustainable compared to modern forest management practices. 12

Research: Bryce P, Daniel, Emma, Michael
Fact Sheet: Bryce P, Daniel, Marjorie S
Editing: Alison Hartson, Bryce P, Dana Manning, Daniel, Jessica Cresseveur
Graphic Design: Lena Plaut

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