A U.S. tribe’s uphill battle against climate change

A Quinault tribal member digs for clams on Pacific Beach, Washington, U.S. March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

TAHOLAH, Washington (Reuters) - For several years, Fawn Sharp has seen her tribe on the coastline of Washington state lurch from crisis to crisis: rising sea levels have flooded the Quinault Indian Nation’s main village, and its staple sockeye salmon in nearby rivers have all but disappeared – a direct hit to the tribe’s finances and culture.

Now Sharp, the 49-year-old president of the Quinault, plans to move the tribe to higher ground, restore the fishery, and diversify its economy. The projects are foundering, she says, because of a lack of federal money to help Native Americans adapt to climate change.