Fires, Floods, and Droughts: Impacts of Climate Change in the U.S.

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 22.05.06

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. School Description and Rationale
  3. Content Objectives
  4. Teaching strategies
  5. Activities
  6. Activity of soil and planting
  7. Appendix on Implementing District Standards
  8. Bibliography

"To 'iina 'ate: Water is Life," Navajo Farming During a Drought

Jennifer Tsosie

Published September 2022

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Introduction

Climate change is affecting the entire world. In the Southwest United States, climate change has caused disturbances in forest structures and landscape, precipitation, soil moisture reductions and increases in soil erosion.1 There is a domino effect of one disturbance to another. If the forest productivity is altered, it alters nearby community environment, the air, the water, the animals, and the people. According to the article, “Rapid intensification of emerging southwestern North American megadrought in 2020-2021,” data from tree rings and soil moisture have shown that the southwest is in a climate exacerbated drought and it is not over yet. The data shows that it is the worst 20 year drought since the 1500’s.2

The effect of climate change on the Navajo Nation are seen every day. There are severe dust/sand storms that cause soil erosion. The nearby lakes that are traditional water sources for farming, are drying up due to not enough rain and reduced snow pack. The vegetation are drying up causing soil to be more exposed.3 There is a shift in seasonal climate and temperature increases. In this curriculum, students will look at these concerns and create solutions on how to address these issues so that they are able to keep or adapt traditional farming and crops under a changing climate.

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