Abstract

Since 2019, the Status of Tribes and Climate Change (STACC) reports have been convened by the Tribes and Climate Change Program, which is housed under the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) at Northern Arizona University. This second volume of the STACC Report series builds off of the 2021 report by presenting updated information, sharing emerging topics, and emphasizing Indigenous-led initiatives.

The STACC report series elevates the voices and efforts of Indigenous Peoples, Nations, and communities and provides a space within published literature to share our own stories about the climate change impacts we are experiencing and the solutions we are implementing. The reports, now published in two volumes, are acts of resilience and self-determination intended to uplift Indigenous experiences and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in local, national, and global conversations. In doing so, these reports work to counteract the erasure of our ways of knowing, being, and doing. 

The report also aims to combat continued attempts at erasure of IKS in climate science. Indigenous Peoples face erasure through non-representation, underrepresentation, and misrepresentation in climate change literature and reports. We acknowledge the efforts of many champions for Indigenous rights in climate science and the gains and progress made over the decades to reduce erasure. It is our intention that these reports provide energy to our human and nonhuman relatives (animal, plant, earth beings, and all of creation) who have, continue to, and will face climate challenges that are both daunting and urgent and that they will inspire all to act.

The case studies, narratives, stories, and scholarly work within this report demonstrate Indigenous climate resilience and how IKS are proven and effective ways to approach climate change. Our Ancestors and immediate past generations have fought to ensure that we would be able to exist and thrive on our Indigenous Lands and Waters, practicing and living our brilliant lifeways and IKS. Within this volume, we continue to explore how we can honor our Ancestors and become honorable Ancestors for future generations.