UNCASVILLE, CT | Today, tribal leaders gathered and adopted a resolution supporting the Paris Climate Agreement during the closing general assembly at the NCAI 2017 Mid Year Conference & Marketplace.

"As the indigenous people of this land, it is our sacred obligation to mother earth to respect and protect her," said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. "Our communities are on the front lines of climate change and are facing relocation in some areas, and the loss of hunting and fishing ecosystems and traditional plants and medicines in others.”

Indigenous peoples in the United States and around the world depend on the health of their ecosystems and natural resources for social, economic, and cultural vitality. Climate change threatens to destroy indigenous ways of life that have been sustained for thousands of years.

Resolution MOH-17-053: “Continued Support for the Paris Climate Agreement and Action to Address Climate Change” was adopted unanimously today by NCAI Membership. MOH-17-053 commits to supporting and advocating for initiatives that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote climate resiliency, and calls on all tribal Nations to uphold the Paris Agreement.

At the end of 2015, representatives from NCAI and many tribal nations participated in negotiations with the parties to the United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change in Paris. Reaching a universally binding agreement to address climate change, the agreement represented a global step forward.

“The Paris Climate Agreement is an important step toward a better future for our seven generations to come,” said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. “Indigenous knowledge is a proven tool in addressing climate change and our tribal leaders represented today are committed to sharing that knowledge as leaders in the global effort to address climate change."

The Paris Climate Agreement resolution was joined by a suite of 36 resolutions passed by the NCAI Membership at the Mid Year Conference. All text of the resolutions will be available on the NCAI website starting next week at http://www.ncai.org/resources/resolutions-home.

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About the National Congress of American Indians:
Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit www.ncai.org.