On a broader level, LaDuke is concerned about global climate change. The toxic emissions released from America’s nuclear waste are tainting everything from the air we breathe to the land we walk on. What’s even worse is that the government has proposed Nevada, where a number of Native American tribes dwell, to be “’the final resting place’ for America’s most deadly garbage” (LaDuke, 25) To further supplement the decaying of the environment and neglect the rights of native peoples, the US government has elected to test all its nuclear weapons on the lands of indigenous peoples. More than six hundred nuclear bombs have been detonated on lands that legally belong to the Shoshone nation, in the western part of the US (LaDuke, 86). The US government is constantly proposing that toxic waste dump sites be established but more often than not the proposed areas are where indigenous communities reside.
Nuclear power and nuclear waste is only one of the many damaging pollutants that plague our Earth, turning our one home into a poisonous landfill. Fossil fuels and carbon emissions are another source of pollution. But the amount of fossil fuels available for consumption is quickly diminishing; it is predicted that, within a few decades, huge changes in the way we live will either have to be made by us or be forced upon us. Because, as the richest and most powerful nation on the planet, America’s lifestyle is too decadent and it is most certainly unsustainable. The United States alone consumes one third of the world’s natural resources. So with the imminent collapse of natural resources available, LaDuke encourages the world to turn to renewable energy sources, such as wind power, instead of exploiting whatever limited energy sources we have left.
Wind turbines have been installed on Indian reservations as a new, safe way of capturing and producing energy. With the combination of solar and wind power plants scattered across the US, we have the potential to eradicate all fossil fuel burning power plants in the States. LaDuke advocates the conversion to renewable energy sources because it exists as a method of harnessing energy without harming the environment. Constructing wind turbines would provide new job opportunities for many native people and at the same time, assist the country on the path of becoming energy independent. Seeking alternative energy sources that do no inflict damage to the Earth we live on ensures a healthy, sustainable future for all people.