The Effect Government Recognition of Indigenous Communities Has on Climate Adaptation Funding in the United States

Clifton Cottrell

Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 2025, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: The global community already spends billions of dollars per year on projects and strategies intended to adapt to current and future challenges brought about by climate change. Indigenous communities, which are often place-based and culturally dependent on local resources, are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Without adequate funding to build climate resilience, these communities face potential displacement and cultural extinction. The United States government maintains a complex and subjective system by which it acknowledges the Indigenous communities within its borders and enforces this recognition system to make determinations on which Indigenous Peoples to engage through numerous climate adaptation programs and grants. This study utilizes a comparative statutory review of dozens of federal climate funding opportunities and concludes that a lack acknowledgement of a Tribal nation’s sovereignty severely impacts access to climate adaptation financial resources. Efforts by some federal agencies to redefine what constitutes an "Indian tribe†in certain programs calls into question the bureaucratic structures that typically determine which Indigenous Peoples can and should be acknowledged by the U.S. government. Adjustments to federal recognition procedures for Indigenous Peoples may be necessary to ensure justice and equity in adapting to climate change.

Date: 2025
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