Biden Administration Divvies Up $120 Million For Tribes To Adapt To Climate Risks

Severe erosion of the permafrost tundra threatens houses at the Yupik Eskimo village of Quinhagak, in the Yukon Delta of Alaska. MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images The Biden administration on Thursday awarded more than $120 million to dozens of Native American and Alaska Native tribes to prepare for and adapt to the mounting effects of climate change, including sea level rise, worsening droughts and wildfires and food security. “As I’ve visited communities all across the country — from the Alaska village of Utqiagvik, to the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington, to the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana — I’ve seen firsthand how pressing the climate crisis is for Indigenous peoples and the urgency with which we must move to honor our obligations to tribal nations,” Haaland said. “As these communities face the increasing threat of rising seas, coastal erosion, storm surges, raging wildfires and devastation from other extreme weather events, our focus must be on bolstering climate resilience.” The money will be distributed to 102 tribes and eight tribal organizations, funding a total of 146 individual projects. Haaland, the first Native American person to serve as a Cabinet secretary, said the funding will “help build lasting and generational change that tribal communities need to stay resilient.” A total of 166 tribes and tribal organizations applied for funding through the program, according to a senior Biden administration official.