Author: Tatum Eames

The final installment of a blog series of 13 sharing art, articles, and abstract ideas that spark a contagious conversation.

This blog series was created as a way to archive the current pandemic and its connection to the climate crisis. We have grown together and learned about what defines a crisis, next was the common ground shared between COVID-19 and climate change. We’ve analyzed the cost-both human and financial – of these crises. We learned about community mutual aid networks and cultural perspectives. This blog series doesn’t stop here, and neither does climate change or the impact of COVID-19. 

Here are some of the key take-aways from this 13 blog series:

-A crisis is any event that is going to lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole society.  

-The similarities between how the public has responded to COVID-19 and climate change are striking. “First, one denies the problem, then one denies its severity, and then one says it is too difficult or expensive to fix, and/or that the proposed solution threatens our freedom.” Sound familiar?

-Those who are the most impacted by environmental racism are also those who are hit the hardest from this pandemic. 

-GDP, stock markets, and rates of unemployment will be impacted by both the coronavirus and climate change.

-When circumstances change for millions of people and every country all in a short period of time, the social ramifications should be considered just as critical as the economic ones. There is a major social cost to climate change and COVID-19. 

-There is a strong link between the countries that have taken quick action against climate change and the countries that have controlled the spread of COVID-19. 

As each of these crises continue to evolve and develop, more commonalities and connections can be made. With the information that we gain from COVID-19, we must take action to prepare ourselves better for climate change.

Written by Tatum Eames, Western Washington University Senior and Climate Justice Now Intern.

The twelfth installment of a blog series of 13 sharing art, articles, and abstract ideas that spark a contagious conversation.

Lummi Nation’s first physician from its own community, Dr. Dakotah Lane knows exactly how important culture is when handling crises. 

Dr. Lane came back to Lummi Nation in 2016 to practice family medicine after getting his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine at Cornell University in New York. It was a switch for him after starting out as an electrical engineer with a degree from the University of Washington (UW) in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE).

He felt called to serve his people.

Protection is what Lummi has been all about as the tribe has taken strong measures that began in February – and they’ve gone further than many governments to protect their people. 

“At first in January we were just watching it, and didn’t expect anything,” Lane said. “There was a lot of doubt when we first started, there was a lot of disbelief,  ‘Are we overblowing this, are we crying wolf?’ But in February, it became clear to us we need to start acting right now.” The Lummi Nation also has taken steps to bring medical care and support to their community, right to their homes. The tribe purchased iPads and Wi-Fi hot spots, dropped off at patients’ doorsteps for in-home, door-to-door telemedicine. The tribe also has drive-thru testing for anyone who meets the criteria for it.  The tribe even set up a medical tent outside, for people who need hands-on examination.

All dental appointments have been canceled, and the dental staff, other than a skeleton crew for emergencies, has been repurposed to help with the virus response, including testing.

The tribe, before the state or federal authorities, called for extreme social distancing. To make sure elders and others have what they need, food is being distributed door to door, and drive-ups to distribution points are available for people still able to leave their homes.

We reached out to Dr. Lane in order to get some more information about Lummi Nation and its fight against crises. His responses are below: 

What is the Lummi Nations relationship with health? What are the biggest health concerns facing the Lummi Nation?

The health of the community is very important and our clinic seeks to view the ‘whole’ person which includes the medical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. Many of our chronic health conditions are the result of poverty which includes obesity, type 2 DM, and substance abuse. Like the rest of the USA, we face a high level of heroin overdose, narcotic abuse, and alcohol abuse.

Our health conditions closely related to multiple socio-economic and environmental factors. Many of our Lummi community members no longer have access to our traditional foods. At family gatherings, my grandparents would always say “when the tide is out, the plate is set”. Much of these shellfisheries continue to have red tide due to runoff from the farms which limit are ability to gather shellfish.

How does the Lummi Nation respond to climate change? What facets of climate change have the most impact on the Lummi Nation?

Climate change has had a huge impact on our way of life. Particularly our ability to traditionally hunt and fish – when I was growing up, I spent my childhood fishing on the banks of Lummi Reservation and throughout the Puget Sound. Today there is limited salmon fishing with decrease fisheries.

How often do you hear issues of climate change discussed within the Lummi Nation? Is it an issue addressed head on, or avoided?

All the time. While I don’t speak for the Lummi Indian Business Council, I do know they are taking climate change seriously. I frequently hear our council advocate for thinking how our decisions today will affect our children tomorrow including designing buildings that are ecofriendly, investing in the education of our children, and fighting for the protection of natural resources (i.e. speaking out against aquafarming).

Do you see any parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and the looming climate change crisis?

I can make some general observations – the global reliance of fossil fuels impacts the tribes’ ability to depend on our traditional way of life. We seek to protect it by passing on our traditional values, strengthening our culture, and protecting our waterways.

What steps has the Lummi Nation taken to combat climate change? What steps have been taken to combat COVID-19? When were those actions taken?

The Lummi Health Clinic is working to improve the health of the entire community. We have put in place to multiple protective measures for the community including monitoring, testing, and quarantine community members. All of these steps and processes were put in place in early late January (our first order for PPE was Jan 28^th).

With regard to climate change, Tribal people have always fought for improved environmental quality – from the early days when they told the Federal government that dams will kill off our salmon (and harm much of our ecosystem) to the present day farmed fish that pollute our waterways.

Is there anything that you wish more communities would do the same as the Lummi nation in addressing the crisis?

Certainly, I wish political leadership would take seriously the necessary changes to protect our waters including the water ways. Salmon is our way of life and the salmon fisheries has strained the entire ecosystem. It starts with protecting the rivers by having thoughtful development that protects the rivers that salmon spawn on for reproduction.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to interview Dr. Lane and share the Lummi culture and their valiant efforts to fight COVID-19 and the climate crisis. This week Lummi Nation’s hereditary chief Bill Tsi’li’xw James passed away and video coverage of his teachings and his service can be viewed here, thanks to Children of the Setting Sun Productions. Taking time to learn from indigenous cultures during this time of learning how to address humanity’s pressing issues may be the just the guidance we need in these uncharted waters.

Written by Tatum Eames, Western Washington University Senior and Climate Justice Now Intern.

The eleventh installment of a blog series of 13 sharing art, articles, and abstract ideas that spark a contagious conversation.

In July 2014, a cell phone video captured some of Eric Garner’s final words as New York City police officers sat on his head and pinned him to the ground on a sidewalk: “I can’t breathe.” On May 25 of this year, the same words were spoken by George Floyd, who pleaded for release as an officer knelt on his neck and pinned him to the ground on a Minneapolis street. As a Black man, he joins a group of countless killed by the police in the United States and a list of each person can be found here. Racism is a crisis. As is climate change, and COVID-19. They all end in the same horrific truth – not being able to breathe.

After news broke about George Floyd’s murder the world erupted in protest. Familiar activists from Black Lives Matter along with White allies showed up in droves, holding signs and wearing face masks to protect from the threat of tear gas and coronavirus in cities such as Minneapolis, New York City, and Seattle. At least 40 cities imposed curfews and National Guard members have been activated in at least 23 states and Washington, DC. In many places the curfews were more strictly enforced than COVID-19 Stay at Home orders.

It is not an accident that all crises disproportionately impact Black people. It is important to remember that our systems are not broken, they were built this way. In the United States, police departments were designed to track people who were enslaved during the Civil War.

The first publicly funded, organized police force with officers on duty full-time was created in Boston in 1838. Boston was a large shipping commercial center, and businesses had been hiring people to protect their property and safeguard the transport of goods from the port of Boston to other places. These merchants came up with a way to save money by transferring to the cost of maintaining a police force to citizens by arguing that it was for the “collective good.”

In the South, however, the economics that drove the creation of police forces were centered not on the protection of shipping interests but on the preservation of the slavery system. Some of the primary policing institutions there were the slave patrols tasked with chasing down runaways and preventing slave revolts; the first formal slave patrol had been created in the Carolina colonies in 1704. During the Civil War, the military became the primary form of law enforcement in the South, but during Reconstruction, many local sheriffs functioned in a way analogous to the earlier slave patrols, enforcing segregation and the disenfranchisement of freed slaves.

Moving forward we must listen to our Black neighbors, friends, and communities. Too many lives are being taken by COVID-19, climate change and racism. The least we can do is take action to protect the most vulnerable.

Please check out this post by former President Barack Obama for ways to make this moment in history count: https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067

Written by Tatum Eames, Western Washington University Senior and Climate Justice Now Intern.

The eighth installment of a blog series of 13 sharing art, articles, and abstract ideas that spark a contagious conversation.

With just a quick Google search, I was able to find 10+ pages of community response teams for COVID-19. Relief funds, medical help, child care, and meal services are just a few of the actions commonly taken by helpers. My question is this: are the communities who are teeming with helpers also the communities that take climate change seriously? Is there a connection between the way neighborhoods, cities, and countries react to COVID-19 and the climate crisis? Where are those communities, and what influences them?

To the left is a map of the world. The blue color is places where cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed. The yellow color is for places where no cases have been found. This map is useful because it helps us understand where the COVID-19 crisis has spread. Most of the world has experienced some turmoil due to COVID-19. There is only one country as of May 2020 without any cases.

This next image reveals the countries where COVID-19 has been found, and tracks its spreading since. The graphs show that countries like US, France, and Spain have had significant growth in COVID-19 cases. Places like Sweden and Canada have limited the spread of the disease. I wondered if the countries where COVID-19 was spreading rapidly might be the same countries that have poor climate protection.

Sweden is ranked as the 4th best country in climate protection. The United States is ranked at 61. This suggests that there may be a correlation between the nations that react quickly to the COVID-19 crisis, follow best practices, and unify communities and their subsequent responses to climate change.

This map depicts the world and color codes countries based on their effort in fighting climate change. Green is used to show a very high level of effort and help, while red is used to show a very low effort. Again we can see some intersections in the communities that have responded adequately to the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who have taken action of climate protection.

Where we live matters. Our communities and their reactions to crisis can be the defining factor in thriving or suffering. In some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic is a trial run, a foreshadowing of future events, and a glimpse of what reactions to a worsening climate crisis could be. Let’s all make our communities the ones who fight.

Written by Tatum Eames, Western Washington University Senior and Climate Justice Now Intern.

The sixth installment of a blog series of 13 sharing art, articles, and abstract ideas that spark a contagious conversation.

Many predictions of the economic and social costs of our current pandemic are based on the effects of the influenza pandemic of 1918. The influenza pandemic in the United States occurred in three waves during 1918 and 1919. The first wave began in March 1918 and lasted throughout the summer of 1918. The more devastating second and third waves (the second being the worst) occurred in the fall of 1918 and the spring of 1919. Although it originated in the U.S., according to one researcher:

“Spanish influenza moved across the United States in the same way as the pioneers had, for it followed their trails which had become railroads…the pandemic started along the axis from Massachusetts to Virginia…leaped the Appalachians…positioned along the inland waterways…it jumped clear
across the plains and the Rockies to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Then, with secure bases on both coasts…took its time to seep into every niche and corner of America.”

As COVID-19 seeps into every niche and corner of modern America, the question of cost is on all of our minds. What will this pandemic cost us? Will the unemployment rate ever jump back to normal? How can the stock market come back from this? The Bureau for Labor Statistics’ April 2020 job report reveals that the unemployment rate is currently 14.7%. The jump from March 2020’s 10.3% rate to April’s rate is the highest unemployment rate month-to-month increase since reporting started in 1948.

The George Mason Univeristy Mercatus Center reseachers estimate that the real GDP growth rate will decline 5 percent for each month of partial economic shutdown. Therefore, the economic cost of the first two months spent fighting the pandemic will be $2.14 trillion (10 percent), which is surprisingly close to the static fiscal cost of the CARES Act.

At a time when there’s concern about a global economic downturn, a study from August 2019 circulated as a working paper in the National Bureau of Economic Research, warns of a far bigger cut to economic growth if global warming goes unchecked. The Washington Post wrote an article titled,”Climate change could cost the U.S. up to 10.5 percent of its GDP by 2100, study finds” that nearly broke the comments section.

“What our study suggests is that climate change is costly for all countries under the business as usual scenario (no matter whether they are hot or cold, rich or poor), and the United States will be one of the countries that will suffer the most (reflecting sharp increases in U.S. average temperatures by 2100),” study co-author Kamiar Mohaddes, an economist at the University of Cambridge reports.

Extreme weather events, cuts to worker productivity and other effects of climate change could cause major global economic losses unless greenhouse gas emissions are significantly curtailed in the next few decades. Climate change constitutes a looming financial risk, even in the midst of COVID-19 chaos.

Written by Tatum Eames, Western Washington University Senior and Climate Justice Now Intern.