"Climate Change Could Put Tribes’ Electric Systems at Risk"

"Heat waves, extreme storms, wildfire and other effects of climate change pose major threats to the electric power systems in Native American communities across the country, most significantly in the West and Southwest, according to a new U.S. Department of Energy report.

'Tribes are among the communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,' Chris Deschene, director of the Energy Department’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, said in a statement. 'Tribal lands, which are home to more than 1 million people, have a relatively high proportion of low-income residents, and tribes have limited resources to respond to climate-related impacts.'

The DOE produced the report to help tribes, especially those such as the Navajo Nation that own and manage many of their power lines, understand the vulnerabilities of their power systems so they can adapt to the risks posed by a warming world. President Obama saw first-hand last week how Alaskan Native communities are being devastated by rising seas and melting permafrost because of climate change."

Bobby Magill reports for Climate Central September 8, 2015.