NM Tribes Talk Climate with White House
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November 6, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Native American leaders from New Mexico and across the country have been in Washington, D.C. this week for the White House Tribal Nations Conference, and climate change is one of the big topics of conversation between the Obama administration and tribes.
John Antonio. governor of Laguna Pueblo, says New Mexico's pueblos and other tribes have a lot to lose in a rapidly changing climate.
"Wildlife populations, watersheds, springs, and things like that. And, of course with any change in the climate, we start to lose a lot of the water resources."
While nuclear power is often suggested as one way to reduce carbon emissions, Antonio says it's a bad deal for tribes. Many uranium mining and milling operations are located near reservations where there are plenty of renewable power sources, too, he says.
"It's a direct threat to the water resources, and of course, we have the great potential to provide solar energy."
It just makes sense, says Antonio, that tribes are included in discussions about how to deal with climate change, because tribal lands are often the most-affected. Tribal leaders say they are looking to the White House and Congress for support for clean energy projects on Indian lands.