Climate change and COVID-19: Assessing the vulnerability and resilience of U.S. Indigenous communities to syndemic crises

Stefan Wheat; Shasta Gaughen; James Skeet; Larry Campbell; Jamie Donatuto; Jacqualine Schaeffer; Cecilia Sorensen

doi:10.1016/j.joclim.2022.100148

Climate change and COVID-19: Assessing the vulnerability and resilience of U.S. Indigenous communities to syndemic crises

J Clim Chang Health. 2022 Oct:8:100148. doi: 10.1016/j.joclim.2022.100148. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Authors

Stefan Wheat¹, Shasta Gaughen², James Skeet³, Larry Campbell⁴, Jamie Donatuto⁴, Jacqualine Schaeffer⁵, Cecilia Sorensen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
² Pala Environmental Department, Director and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala, CA, USA.
³ Covenant Pathways, Navajo Nation, Vanderwagen, NM, USA.
⁴ Swinomish Community Environmental Health Program, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, WA, USA.
⁵ Community Environment and Health, Division of Environmental Health and Engineering, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, AK, USA.
⁶ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

Abstract

The rapid emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the insidiously evolving climate crisis represent two of the most pressing public health threats to Indigenous Peoples in the United States. Understanding the ways in which these syndemics uniquely impact Indigenous Peoples, given the existing health disparities for such communities, is essential if we are to address modifiable root causes of health vulnerability and devise effective and equitable strategies to protect and improve health in the evolving climate landscape. We explore the compounding burden of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change on Indigenous Peoples' health, and present several case studies which outline novel Indigenous approaches and perspectives that address climate change, COVID-19 and future health threats.

Keywords: COVID-19; Climate adaptation; Climate change; Indigenous health; Indigenous resilience.

Publication types

Review