this 60-second video is about the implications of climate change on the reduced number of salmon in alaskan waters — and the difficulties facing native american tribes who depend on that salmon.

part of the root of human caused climate change is that we have forgotten what it means to be native. much of the developed world lives as a conqueror might, giving little to no regard for their local surroundings. if contemporary citizens can reconnect with their surroundings and treat their environments from the perspective of being native, we could see a drastic shift in the impacts of each individual. we could save the world. 

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sources: the native flute clips were adapted from a piece titled, “native american style flute in a” they can be found on www.freesound.org. it was uploaded by, wood_flutes, and is under creative commons license 4.

local residents are concerned about the new mining efforts because of their past experiences. uranium mining can require up to 12 million gallons of water per day, which is taken out of the mine and runs off on the surface of the land surrounding the mine. not only does this deposit new contamination, but it also can mobilize contamination that remains settled in the ground from previous uranium mining.

across new mexico, hundreds of mounds of toxic waste and contaminated community water sources remain from previous mining efforts. most of the surrounding area consists of low income citizens, and the majority of the sparse population is indigenous peoples. local residents feel that, because of these factors, restoring the land used for mining was not a priority for the mining companies. mining companies maintain that the cost of restoring the land is prohibitive.

uranium mining is currently regulated by the 1872 mining law, which permits mining companies to remove as much uranium as they wish without paying royalties or being responsible for clean-up and restoration efforts. potential new regulations would identify uranium as an energy source and establish guidelines similar to those currently in place for the oil and natural gas industries. this new law would force uranium mining companies to pay leases and royalties on land they use for mining and the uranium they remove. those royalties could be used to clean up radioactive waste and restore the land around the mines. currently, any clean-up efforts that are undertaken are funded by taxpayer dollars.