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Alaska Native Communities to Receive Nearly $75 Million in Funding to Address Climate Change Impacts

“Alaska Native Communities Receive $75 Million to Combat Climate Change Impacts”

The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is set to receive nearly $75 million over the next five years to assist Alaska Indigenous communities facing the impacts of climate change. This funding, the largest federal appropriation aimed at helping Native communities with climate resilience in Alaska’s history, comes at a crucial time as these communities grapple with thawing permafrost, sinking tundra, and flooding.

According to a press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management, Alaska is on the front lines of climate change-related impacts that are altering the Arctic landscape and affecting every aspect of life in remote Alaska Native communities. The most effective way to increase preparedness and reduce exposure to negative impacts is to increase the region’s capacity to understand risk and develop and implement solutions.

The grant of $74,950,045 was awarded through NOAA’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. This funding is part of a program aimed at building resilience to environmental changes and extreme weather in coastal communities across the United States.

NOAA and the U.S. Department of Commerce recommended the award, with NOAA partnering with Alaska Tribal governments as part of the program. The funding will benefit almost 100 Alaska Native communities, focusing on three main adaptation efforts: establishing a climate risk assessment program, expanding technical assistance for Tribal adaptation statewide, and promoting knowledge sharing and networking.

Natasha Singh, interim leader of the Tribal Health Consortium, emphasized the importance of the funding and partnerships, stating that it acknowledges Alaska’s tribes as the rightful leaders in addressing climate change impacts. The funding will support the creation of new positions, including technical jobs in Anchorage consortium offices and rural areas affected by climate change.

The funding will also support the development of a network of practitioners working towards addressing complex, long-term problems such as community relocation, behavioral health, and food sovereignty. This project aims to enable participants to learn from community experiences, share lessons learned, and address resilience challenges holistically.

Jainey Bavishi, NOAA deputy administrator, highlighted the significance of the new partnership and funding in fundamentally changing the landscape of Alaska tribal climate change adaptation. Singh emphasized that climate change directly impacts people’s health and well-being, with melting permafrost and coastal erosion threatening buildings and infrastructure, and access to traditional native foods becoming unpredictable.

By expanding resources and technical assistance, communities can begin to identify and implement solutions tailored to their needs. Singh emphasized the importance of tribal self-governance in leading these efforts, stating that the hard work now begins in allowing tribes to take the lead in addressing climate change impacts.

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