Amy Bowers Cordalis

Amy Bowers Cordalis is many things: an attorney, a mother, a conservationist. But before all that, she was a member of the Yurok Tribe of California who grew up fishing on the Klamath River. Bowers Cordalis served as her tribe’s general legal counsel in its charge to dismantle four hydroelectric dams that were choking the river and the Indigenous people that depend on it. She helped negotiate with the dams’ owner, PacifiCorp, to seal the $550 million deal to demolish the dams and let the river heal. The dam removal project, the largest of its kind in history, was completed in August. Bowers Cordalis’ Indigenous conservation group, Ridges to Riffles, is now working with the Yurok Tribe to restore the waterway’s once-thriving fish population.

What is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government (other than your own), needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda?

The most critical action in advancing the climate agenda is to work directly with Indigenous nations and peoples. Climate, biodiversity, and conservation are deeply intertwined; solutions to the climate crisis often lie in protecting biodiversity and embracing local, nature-based solutions. Indigenous territories hold 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity because these lands, reserved for Indigenous use, have been shielded from development while allowing Indigenous stewardship practices to thrive. Indigenous peoples manage these resources with reverence, guided by traditional ecological knowledge passed down through generations and safeguarded by inherent tribal sovereignty.

Governments and corporations must move beyond the exploitation of Indigenous resources and conflict with Indigenous nations, and instead form partnerships that honor Indigenous legal rights, knowledge, and unique political status. This approach is strongly supported by tribal, U.S., and international law. Many tribes in the U.S. have sophisticated tribal law and court systems that codify ancient reciprocal relationships with nature and land management practices. U.S. treaties with tribes are the supreme law of the land, providing powerful legal tools to advance nature-based solutions to the climate crisis. Furthermore, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affirms the indivisibility of human rights, sovereignty, natural resource stewardship, and planetary health. It underscores our responsibility to restore the environment for future generations and calls on governments to remedy past harms to both Indigenous peoples and the planet. To advance the arc of justice and healing, it is time for the United States and all countries to fully implement the UNDRIP, ensuring protection for Indigenous Peoples’ human rights and all of our responsibilities to future generations.

Klamath River dam removal, the largest river restoration project in U.S. history, is a prime example of the tremendous potential of supporting Indigenous-led, nature-based solutions. Indigenous grassroots activism and tribal leadership have driven history's largest river restoration project. The $550 million agreement, made with one of the world’s largest power companies, resulted in the removal of four dams on the Klamath River. The agreement equally respects Indigenous rights, the rights of nature, business interests, and public needs. Removing the dams was less costly than upgrading them, resulting in lower power costs for consumers, restoring over 400 miles of spawning habitat, improving water quality, and reducing methane emissions. Importantly, it ensures that Indigenous peoples on the Klamath can continue their fishing way of life by restoring the lifeblood of our culture.

This type of collaboration shows that solutions honoring the rights of nature, Indigenous peoples, and business are not only possible but essential. Achieving this requires dismantling colonial systems that took lands and resources for profit, resulting in ecological destruction. By restoring balance through the mutual interests of Indigenous peoples, nature, and business, we can heal the planet.

What is a climate solution (other than your own) that isn't getting the attention or funding it deserves?

Only 1% of philanthropic funds go to Indigenous Nations, yet their lands hold 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Imagine the impact if Indigenous Nations were equitably funded to steward their lands, waters, and natural resources. The Yurok Tribe, for instance, retains only 0.27% of its aboriginal lands, and many tribal members live below the national poverty line, still lacking basic infrastructure like running water and electricity. Despite these challenges, we have led major climate action moments, including the Klamath Dam removal, reintroducing the California Condor, and operating a carbon sequestration project. Many other tribes are doing similar work, overcoming obstacles rooted in historical systemic racism but are limited by a lack of resources.

Investing in Indigenous Nations tends to yield high returns. While political administrations, CEOs, and NGOs come and go, Indigenous Nations remain deeply committed to their homelands, waters, and cultural resources. Many tribes follow ancient mandates from the Creator to steward their territories, which have been incorporated into modern tribal law and protected through the exercise of tribal sovereignty. They manage land and water with traditional knowledge developed since time immemorial. This long-term commitment makes tribes uniquely positioned to develop and implement local solutions to the climate crisis. Philanthropy and government funding must prioritize Indigenous-led environmental solutions.

If you could stand up and talk to world leaders at the next U.N. climate conference, what would you say?

I would call for a global regenerative economy that equally values the rights of nature, Indigenous Peoples, and business as a solution to the climate crisis. We must form partnerships with Indigenous Nations, rather than viewing them as obstacles to be conquered. Indigenous peoples have been stewards of land and water for thousands of years, and our knowledge is essential for restoring ecosystems and addressing the climate crisis. Combining this wisdom with modern technology and resources from the business sector offers a powerful, equitable approach to modernizing economies toward sustainability.

Climate, biodiversity, and conservation are not separate issues. The solutions to the climate crisis often lie in merging the three. For example, removing the Klamath Dams not only restores the Klamath Basin ecosystem, which supports a $500 million annual economy based on agriculture, commercial fisheries, and tourism but also rebuilds the third-largest salmon run in the continental United States and reduces methane emissions. On the Klamath, we are reducing emissions, restoring ecosystems, supporting economies, and sustaining Indigenous lifeways. We must approach the climate crisis by rebuilding the planetary ecosystem, recognizing that multiple interconnected parts work together to sustain the planet. Instead of isolating issues or limiting funding to specific areas, we need to use all available tools and resources to address the climate crisis comprehensively—from the depths of the Mariana Trench to the heights of Mountain Everest. 

The Paris Agreement doesn’t go far enough in protecting Indigenous lands and rights. It’s not aligned with UNDRIP, and the voices of Indigenous Peoples must be included in the decisions that affect their lands, waters, and futures. Indigenous nations and small island states cannot be sidelined while big oil and wealthy countries dominate the negotiations. Those who have harmed the planet, small communities, and Indigenous Peoples must be held accountable and provide remedies by supporting Indigenous representation, promoting local and nature-based solutions, and ensuring adequate funding. We must listen to those who live closest to the land and water if we truly want to heal the planet.