Assessing Our Vulnerability to Changes in the Climate

The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho is conducting a Climate Vulnerability Assessment to guide an update to the Tribe’s Environmental Plan.  

What is a Climate Vulnerability Assessment?

Overview

A climate vulnerability assessment evaluates the potential impacts of climate change on the Tribe's environmental, cultural, and socio-economic resources. The assessment combines publicly available climate data and local knowledge to rate the risks associated with projected changes in climate and extreme weather such as: temperature, precipitation, drought, and wildfire. Areas of importance to the Tribe include aquatic and terrestrial species, water and air quality, cultural resources, and infrastructure.  

Process

Multiple factors are reviewed to determine which human, plant, and animal systems are at risk due to climate change including the probability of a climate hazard occurring and the magnitude of consequence if that hazard occurs. This matrix from the U.S Climate Resilience Toolkit illustrates how we determine risk, from Low to High:

A single climate driver may have multiple impacts and may affect people and species differently. For example, increased heat may have impacts on land, health, and infrastructure. These impacts affect people and species at varying rates. High heat events may have greater impact on health for children and elders than it has on the general population:

If it is determined that children and the elderly have a greater health risk from high heat, and that high heat events are projected to increase, then our plan will outline specific actions to address the risk.  This projected change in weather patterns signals a potential action to include in the Environmental plan. In this example, we might outline a plan for cooling centers during high heat events.

The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho has already implemented many projects and programs that will support the Tribe’s long-term resilience to climate change. Some of these risks are already being addressed by work the Tribe is doing. For example, river restoration projects will help aquatic species better adapt to increased temperature trends. These strengths are taken into account in the Climate Vulnerability Assessment and help to prioritize actions where the Tribe has not already made significant progress.

Results

This assessment will guide the development of strategies to help the Tribe’s community and ecosystems adapt in a changing climate. Tribal Council and Tribal members will have the opportunity to review draft recommendations and provide feedback in order to ensure the plan is informed by the community it serves. The updated Environmental Plan will include these seven areas of importance: protecting and restoring land, clean and safe water, clean air, healthy communities, healthy ecosystems, environmental stewardship, and continuous improvement. The goal for this work is to develop strategies that increase the Tribe’s overall wellbeing. Co-benefits of taking action toward climate reslience may include increased human health and wellbeing, economic security, and cultural continuity.

Understanding the various points of vulnerability is important. A changing climate will impact all facets of life, including Tribal members’ health, wildlife and plant species, land, waterways and air quality, and Tribal infrastructure. Planning for these changes can help the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho mitigate negative impacts and prioritize actions that will benefit people, plants, and animals for future generations.