Forced migration left indigenous Americans more exposed to climate change: Study

Present-day tribal lands in the US are exposed to more heat and precipitation as well as fires
The Trail of Tears Original route sign in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Photo: istock
The Trail of Tears Original route sign in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Photo: istock
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The Trail of Tears Original route sign in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Photo: istock

Native American peoples, who were dispossessed of their lands and forcibly relocated to new ones by the United States government, were more exposed to climate change, a new study has said.

Indigenous people in the contiguous US other than Alaska and Hawaii, face a lot of risks today that can be traced to the land dispossession and forced migration, the study said.

They face climate vulnerability and diminished economic value for their lands. Many tribes were excluded by the US government in the emerging energy and industrial sectors, the study said.

Also, many indigenously owned lands in the US today are contiguous to lands administered by the US federal government. This prevents traditional tribal movement and management.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Yale University, Colorado State University and the University of Michigan. Titled Effects of land dispossession and forced migration on Indigenous peoples in North America, it was published in the journal Science October 29, 2021.

The researchers constructed a new comprehensive dataset compiled from a broad collection of historical sources. They classified the land base data for each Native American tribe within two time periods: Historical and present-day.

They then applied statistical models to assess two research questions at scale:

  • What was the full extent of land dispossession and forced migration for each tribe and for all tribes combined?
  • Did tribes’ new lands, being severely reduced in size and potentially far from their ancestral lands, offer improved or reduced environmental conditions and economic opportunities over time?

The researchers tested the latter question along four hypothesised dimensions:

  • Exposure to climate change risks and hazards
  • Mineral value potential
  • Suitability for agriculture
  • Proximity to US federally managed lands

The researchers found that some 42.1 per cent of tribes from the historical period have no federally- or state-recognised present-day tribal land base. Those tribes that do have a land base, their present-day lands are an average of 2.6 per cent the size of their estimated historical area.

Many present-day lands are far from historical lands. The researchers found that forced migration distances averaged 239 kilometres, with a median of 131 km and a maximum of 2,774 km.

The tribes’ present-day lands are on average more exposed to climate change risks and hazards, including more extreme heat and less precipitation. Nearly half the tribes experienced heightened wildfire hazard exposure.

The present-day lands have less positive economic mineral value, being less likely to lie over valuable subsurface oil and gas resources.

“There is a remaining climate-related responsibility on the part of nation-states to acknowledge and mediate the most harmful results of dispossession and forced migration. Yet with any policy debate about reparations or restorative justice, one major issue is how to make an accurate assessment of the scope of the historical wrongdoing,” the researchers said.

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