Voices from Native America promise to bring fresh perspectives to the body of scientific evidence that suggests humans are disrupting the balance of the world's climate. The workshop will be held at the Albuquerque Convention Center and is co-sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, American Indian Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque. It is one of 20 meetings being held around the country to examine the potential consequences of climate change on the U.S. population, environment and economy. The workshops are part of a national assessment being conducted by the U.S. Global Change Research Program to analyze potential consequences of climate variability on agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health, social systems, biological diversity and the natural environment. The goal is to initiate a broad assessment of climate change impacts on the nations ecosystems, social structures and economic sectors by the end of 1999.
Native people say their input is critical.
The land bases within Indian reservations represent significant land holdings that are relatively undisturbed with a wide range of indigenous plant and animal species which can serve as key indicators to monitor and document climate change. We look forward to working together to improve our understanding of environmental and climate change impacts on Native people and their homelands. More than 550 Indian Nations exist in the U.S. where they have been the longest continuous inhabitants of the land with exceptional awareness of changes in the natural world. Many tribes have ongoing traditions and ceremonies directly tied to the land, water, plants, animals and sacred sites of their homelands. Their ancient knowledge of mankind's responsibility to care for the Earth may improve understanding of human impacts on the planet and promote sustainable relationships between humans and the environment.