Vote of a Lifetime: Alaskan Town Decides Whether to Stay or Go in Face of Climate Change
Nine villages, mostly in western Alaska, have been identified by the Army Corps of Engineers to be at imminent risk because of erosion and rising seas, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
All have been recommended to relocate.
Between 200 and 300 villages will be at similar risk in the coming decades, according to the Corps.
The native village of Newtok, 370 miles south of Shishmaref, is the first to have agreed to move to a new location. The move will be funded by state and federal funds, according to Maria Gonoa, a spokesperson for HUD. A complete overwash of Newtok is predicted to hit as early as next year, Gonoa added.
As threatening as the climate impacts are, the cultural impact of leaving the village was also hard to think about, Eningowuk said.
“At my age, I hope to not relocate from here,” Eningowuk said.
Eningowuk said their lifestyle—dependent on the sea—would have to change if they went to the mainland.
Vote of a Lifetime: Alaskan Town Decides Whether to Stay or Go in Face of Climate Change