and state government support for AN com- munities to address climate change by cre- ating a single funding source based on risk, removing programmatic barriers to equity for small tribal and rural communities, and cre- ating a whole-of-government implementation framework to address environmental threats. What Can We Do? What Action Can We Take to Help? In a visit to the ANTHC oces in Anchor- age, Max Neale, senior program manager of the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities, asked that NEHA bring more awareness to the climate impacts on AN com- munities. Climate change is impacting and threatening the lives and livelihood of AN people. Immediate action is needed to sup- port and create safe, healthy, and sustainable communities that are resilient to climate- related threats now and in the future (U.S. Government Accountability Oce, 2022). The ecological changes in Alaska are far- reaching and have impacts beyond the state. Melting glaciers and the subsequent sea level rise are impacting global coastal areas (U.S. Geological Survey, n.d.). Federal, state, and local government un- derstanding of Indigenous perspectives and engaging in co-management is needed to successfully address climate change impacts in Alaska and internationally. AN resident Shari Fox Gearhead states, “Careful atten- tion to one’s surroundings is still essential to staying safe and also bringing food home. Ice still matters, to Inuit, Inughuit, Inupiat, and to the world.” Whether or not we live in Alaska, this message is important for us all, and we need to work in unity to be suc- cessfully resilient and to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Perhaps it is best summed up by Herman Ahsoak: “If you take care of nature, nature will take care of you” (G. Bare, personal communication, February 3, 2023). Acknowledgements: This article was funded through the CDC OT18-1802 Cooperative Agreement, 6NU38OT000300. The findings and conclusions are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily repre- sent the ocial views of CDC or NEHA. We gratefully acknowledge Jackie Schaeer and Max Neale from ANTHC for their guid- ance and input on this project. We recognize
project leaders are on native village councils and work with a local municipality in the Asqinaq to conduct on-site workshops that will engage residents first through listening sessions and later through the resist-accept- direct framework to encourage outside-the- box thinking on nature-based climate adapta- tions. The aim of this project is to develop a climate vulnerability assessment for the Asqi- naq that will identify place- and nature-based solutions for the benefit of both this commu- nity and wildlife.
ties threatened by a combination of erosion, flooding, or permafrost thaw. Over the next decade, there is an $80 million annual gap in funding needed to address threats to infra- structure and to avoid compounded expenses from future disaster response. Additionally, primary barriers to protecting infrastructure were identified as funding shortfalls and lack of agency coordination, local capacity, and technical assistance. They also found that inequitable regulatory barriers and program design have inhibited tribes in Alaska from participating in federal climate adaptation programs that would assist in relocating com- munities or addressing infrastructure damage from climate change (ANTHC, 2023). Conclusion To survive in one of the harshest places in the world, ANs needed to be resilient and adapt- able to ecological shifts. An important factor in their success is the unity of their commu- nity. Their tenacity and strength as a cohe- sive community is illustrated in the arduous task of whale hunting. When asked about the biggest strengths of his community, Herman Ahsoak says, “It is the unity of the people and how they work together. It takes everyone to get the whale back to shore. We all have to work together” (G. Bare, personal communi- cation, February 3, 2023). The ability of ANs to successfully be re- silient and adapt has been obstructed by the rapid ecological and socioeconomical shifts accelerated by climate change, acculturation, and institutional barriers. As part of a larger and more complex system, ANs need to be able to co-manage and bring forth Indige- nous knowledge and practices to successfully adapt to the changing world and climate. The U.S. federal government can improve federal An example of increased coastal erosion, which elevates the threat of flooding, ecosystem disruption, and food system damage.
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC, n.d.a) has been working to increase the resiliency and adaptation capabilities of AN communities to climate impacts through their partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Cli- mate Initiatives Program at ANTHC was cre- ated to establish a baseline understanding of Alaskan tribal climate change challenges and responses, forming an Alaska Tribal Climate Change Advisory Group to ensure that cli- mate change eorts in the state are led and prioritized by AN people (ANTHC, n.d.a). The Climate Initiatives Program houses the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities and the Center for Climate and Health. Through the Center for En- vironmentally Threatened Communities, ANTHC helps the 144 Alaska communities threatened by erosion, flooding, and perma- frost degradation (ANTHC, n.d.b). ANTHC has supported >50 communities with 150 projects totaling $50 million to provide ca- pacity building and technical assistance for communities to protect-in-place, retreat, and relocate to new community sites (AN- THC, n.d.b). The Center for Climate and Health assists AN communities to better un- derstand and adapt to climate change with a focus on health. The program also works to inform decision makers about emerging climate threats, provide technical support and guidance, and educate students and the public (ANTHC, n.d.b). In a draft summary document, ANTHC captured the unmeet infrastructure needs in AN villages due to climate change. They found that at least $4.3 billion will be re- quired to proactively address the damage to infrastructure in the 144 AN communi-
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December 2023 • Journal of Environmental Health
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