Alaska indigenous people see culture slipping away as sea ice vanishes

Shishmaref-home-lost-to-erosion-epa
Home lost to coastal erosion, Shismaref, Alaska. Photo source: EPA
In a new study, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey found that the remote northern Alaska coast has some of the highest shoreline erosion rates in the world.USGS

Excerpts;

In a year almost certain to be history’s hottest, drastic environmental changes are taking a toll on food supply and even language in Arctic communities.

After thousands of years of use, words are vanishing as quickly as the ice they describe due to climate change…

Read Full Article, Guardian UK (12-19-2016)

Northern Alaska Coastal Erosion Threatens Habitat and Infrastructure, USGS (07-10-2015)

The Front Line of Climate Change: Alaska Village Must Relocate as Arctic Sea Ice Thins, by Michael Walsh (02-27-2015)

Climate Change Takes A Village, Huffington Green (12-16-2014)
As the planet warms, a remote Alaskan town shows just how unprepared we are…

Erosion doubles along Alaska’s Arctic coast, USGS (02-18-2009)

Moving to Higher Ground (After 12,000 years), A Video from Great Big Story (03-11-2016)
The Quinault Indian Nation has lived in what is now Washington State for thousands of years. But, it’s time to move. The tribe lives on the coast, and climate change has caused sea levels to rise and endanger the village. As the tribe moves to higher ground, it’s bittersweet, since a new home also means moving off sacred ground…

The First Official Climate Refugees in the U.S. Race Against Time; National Geographic(03-27-2016)

Escaping the Waves: a Fijian Village Relocates, a Video (10-03-2015)
“When many understand climate change in concept but not through personal experience, this exhibit carries great weight…”

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