Villagers from Newtok, Alaska, faced permanent evacuation in mid-October due to rising sea levels. This story was shared by resident Della Carl at the National Indigenous Climate Conference in Anchorage, illustrating the real impact of climate change on communities. The conference included members of DRI’s Native Climate team, such as reporters Mary Cathleen Wilson and Shecota Nez, who shared their experiences and stories of resilience.
The Native Climate project aims to highlight the effects of climate change on Indigenous communities through its 10-week reporter internship program. The program trains participants in journalism and multimedia storytelling to raise awareness about climate impacts and Indigenous adaptation practices. “We have created a program where we engage with Native climate reporters,” said Program Director Maureen McCarthy.
During the summer of 2024, the team worked with communication coordinator Kelsey Fitzgerald to develop stories connecting climate data with community experiences. At the Anchorage conference, they presented their projects in a workshop titled “Indigenous Ground Truths: What is Your Climate Story?” They were joined by McCarthy, Fitzgerald, data specialist Kyle Bocinsky, and research fellow Gina McGuire.
Bocinsky presented new CMIP6 climate projections for tribally controlled areas in the US. McGuire concluded with her poem “On Us, Our Stories Live or Die.” The team also engaged other participants in sharing their own climate experiences during a follow-up session.
The reporters left with new story ideas and contacts among tribal organizations working on climate issues across the US. “This competition for essential resources like copper, lithium, and water… mirrors aggressive extraction that previously devastated the land,” Wilson noted.
Other presentations by Native Climate team members included topics on water quality and scarcity as well as droughts to floods on Native lands. These presentations are available on the Native Climate website.
