Climate Change Forces Hard Choices In Alaska

A Wrenching Choice for Alaska Towns in the Path of Climate Change

Erica Goode, November 29, 2016 (NY Times)

“…With its proximity to the Arctic, Alaska is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the United States and the state is heading for the warmest year on record. The government has identified at least 31 Alaskan towns and cities at imminent risk of destruction…[Some, climate change experts predict, will] be uninhabitable by 2050, their residents joining a flow of climate refugees around the globe, in Bolivia, China, Niger and other countries…These endangered Alaskan communities face a choice. They could move to higher ground, a wrenching prospect that for a small village could cost as much as $200 million. Or they could stand their ground and hope to find money to fortify their buildings and shore up their coastline…[B]oth staying and moving have their perils...The process of relocation can [be disruptive, and] take years or even decades…But few government agencies are willing to invest in maintaining villages that are menaced by erosion and flooding, especially when the communities are planning to pull up stakes…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet