SANTA FE — Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren attended a private dinner discussion on climate change impacts in Native American communities and green energy opportunities on Aug. 21. The private dinner event, hosted by an advocacy group, brought together tribal leaders from across the southwest to speak with Nygen about the challenges their communities are facing from rising temperatures, worsening drought, and destructive wildfires exacerbated by climate change.
The dinner discussion, held in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, aimed to underscore the urgent need for climate action and the economic opportunities of green energy for tribes across the Southwest.
“For many Indigenous peoples, climate change is not some future problem, but a severe crisis we already confront in our homelands,” Nygren said in a press release published Aug. 22. “Climbing temperatures have made farming increasingly difficult and water supplies more scarce, threatening our traditional ways of life.”
Nygen listened intently as leaders — Twyla True, Marshal Pierite, and Kevin Killer — detailed the existential threats climate change poses to sacred sites and cultural practices. The President acknowledged the disproportionate effects of the climate emergency on Native communities.
In remarks after the discussion, Nygen reaffirmed his commitment to addressing climate change and promoting renewable energy. He said tribes are “on the front lines of the climate crisis” and praised their leadership in mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Nygren touted recent investments in wind and solar projects in the Navajo Nation that are providing jobs and revenue. He vowed to continue supporting the transition to clean power in Native communities.
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