By admin ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – In what it calls a “historic investment,” the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) has received a federal grant of nearly $75 million to help nearly 100 Alaska Native communities impacted by climate change.
Earlier this year, as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to combat the climate crisis, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Commerce awarded more than half a billion dollars to 19 projects across the country aimed at increasing climate resiliency in states and coastal territories of the country and the Great Lakes.
The most significant amount will go to Alaska, ANTHC interim CEO and president Natasha Singh said Wednesday during a joint news conference, stating that Alaska Native peoples and lands are on the front lines of climate change.
“Native Alaskans face climate change every day,” Singh said. “From the changing rivers we fish to the changing terrain of the traditional lands where we hunt, climate change is one of the major public health challenges in Alaska.”
NOAA Deputy Administrator Jainey Bavishi said the award will help Alaska Native communities address complex and long-term challenges such as climate-driven relocation, food sovereignty, and mental health behavior and well-being.
According to the report cited by Bavishi, climate change in northern and western Alaska is expected to lead to more precipitation and stronger winds, increases in air temperatures and sea levels, and loss of sea ice.
The result is destruction of social infrastructure due to permafrost degradation, flooding and erosion, she added.
ANTHC Director of Tribal Climate Initiatives Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer(Steve Kirch | KTUU)
“We know that Alaska is warming twice as fast as any other state in the country, and the Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average,” Baviszi said.
Director of Tribal Climate Initiatives at ANTHC Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer said the money will help build capacity at the regional level.
What we’re trying to do… is develop regional capacity so they don’t have to call Anchorage and ask for help. They could call their regional tribal health organization or their own climate program… and find help closer to home,” Schaeffer said.
Baviszi said the five-year grant is one-time funding under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Listed below are the three main activities identified by NOAA and ATNHC regarding the funds.
- Establishing a Community-Based Climate Risk Assessment Program – The lack of collection and analysis of community-specific hazard data is a significant barrier to adaptation efforts in isolated areas of Alaska. This initiative aims to establish a voluntary data collection and risk assessment program to assist Alaska Native communities in making decisions regarding conservation, managed retreat and relocation strategies.
- Expanding Tribal Adaptation Technical Assistance Statewide – This effort will employ approximately 49 full-time staff to provide technical assistance in engineering, economics, planning, project management, contracting, surveying, geospatial analysis, construction, grant writing and grant management
- Networking and Knowledge Sharing – This project aims to support Alaska Native climate adaptation practitioners by facilitating new networking and knowledge sharing activities. These activities will enable participants to learn from community experiences, share lessons learned, break down silos and address resilience challenges holistically.
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