"Because tribal lands are particularly prone to drought, flooding, wildfires and other weather extremes, American Indian tribes suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change, a new study from the National Wildlife Federation and other groups reported Wednesday.

American Indians and Alaska natives are more dependent than most other Americans on natural resources and on the bounty of oceans and rivers and thus are particularly at risk from the effects of a warming planet, according to the report, “Facing the Storm: Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes and the Future for Indian Country.” Because many Native Americans live on reservations, they do not have the freedom to move in response to extreme climatic events and are forced to adapt, often with very limited resources.

“The high dependence of tribes upon their lands and natural resources to sustain their economic, cultural and spiritual practices, the relatively poor state of their infrastructure and the great need for financial and technical resources to recover from such events all contribute to the disproportionate impact on tribes,” the report states."

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Green: Climate Change an Extra Burden for Native Americans, Study Says (The New York Times 8/3)