Along Alaska’s west coast, about 80 miles above the Arctic circle, sits the village of Kivalina, situated on a narrow strip of land between a lagoon and the Chukchi Sea—one of several native coastal villages dealing with problems due to the warming of the Arctic. Joe Raedle, a photographer for Getty, recently flew to Kivalina to spend some time with the villagers and photograph their lives and surroundings. The warming climate has led to troubles such as the accelerated erosion of the land the village sits on, which used to be mitigated by sea ice (which is vanishing), and permafrost (which is melting). Fish and wildlife that villagers rely on for food have been forced to change their migration patterns—and poor hunting means more food must be bought from a store, further increasing the cost of living. Raedle: “The residents of Kivalina are hoping to stay on their ancestral lands, where they can preserve their culture, rather than dispersing due to their island being swallowed by the rising waters of the ocean.”
The Impact of Climate Change on Kivalina, Alaska
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Read moreAn aerial view from a drone shows the village of Kivalina, Alaska, which sits at the very end of an eight-mile barrier reef located between a lagoon and the Chukchi Sea, photographed on September 10, 2019. #
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Read moreJoe Swan, 84, sits in his home in Kivalina on September 13, 2019. Swan was a grave digger and noticed about 20 years ago that the permafrost was melting. While it once took him six to eight hours to dig a grave through the frozen permafrost, it now takes about an hour, because the ground is no longer frozen. #
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Read moreAn aerial view from a drone shows how close some of the homes in Kivalina are to the lagoon, photographed on September 13, 2019. #
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Read moreHusky dogs are seen tied to their doghouses on September 9, 2019, in Kivalina, Alaska. #
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Read moreBen Frankson and Rose Hawley take their ATV on a boat to cross the lagoon from Kivalina to pick berries on September 11, 2019. #
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Read moreQuwendalynn Stern,1, walks along a road in Kivalina on September 13, 2019. #
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Read moreRussell Adams, an artist who uses beluga whalebone to make masks, jewelry, and other items, sits in his home on September 9, 2019, in Kivalina. #
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Read moreRoy Adams Sr. (left) and Sylvester Swan Jr. spend time talking with each other on September 10, 2019. #
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Read moreDoreen Baldwin picks up supplies dropped off by a plane on the dirt runway on September 14, 2019. Supplies needed for Kivalina are brought in by either barge or plane because no roads connect the village to any other towns or villages. #
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Read moreWiley Jemeyson uses a bulldozer to push dirt into place in an attempt to widen the beach area to protect the village airstrip from coastal erosion due to the Chukchi Sea on September 9, 2019. #
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Read moreA dump truck is driven onto a barge upon completion of a job to widen the beach area to protect the village airstrip from coastal erosion on September 9, 2019. #
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Read moreVictor Albert Norton looks out a window on September 9, 2019, in Kivalina. #
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Read moreFrom left: Enoch Adams, Lukas Adams, and Charlene Adams hunt for caribou from a boat on September 10, 2019. The hunters in the village have seen the migration of fish, caribou, seals, and whales that they need for the long winter months change due to the warming weather. #
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Read moreIn an aerial view from a drone, caribou hunters are seen on September 11, 2019, in Kivalina. #
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Read moreA pelt from a caribou is left out to dry on September 11, 2019, in the village. #
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Read moreA pile of caribou antlers is seen on September 14, 2019. Residents of Kivalina are dependent on the migration of animals for their food, and they say migration patterns have changed due to global warming. #
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Read moreGary Swan prepares the meat of caribou he killed during a hunt on September 10, 2019. #
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Read moreAn aerial view from a drone shows part of the village of Kivalina, with the Chukchi Sea in the background, on September 10, 2019. #
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Read moreBarbara Stern and Xyhandro Stern, 4, spend time at her mother's grave on September 13, 2019. She said she visits the site, located next to the airport's dirt runway, a few times a year. #
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Read moreRuth Ann Knox and Danny Foster listen to music from an iPhone as they hang out together on September 14, 2019. #
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Read moreEnoch Adams rings the church bell before Sunday service on September 15, 2019, in Kivalina. #
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Read moreFrom left: Barbara Stern, Zacchaeus Stern, and Corey Stern pray together during a church service on September 8, 2019. #
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Read moreA dog sits on a snowmobile in Kivalina on September 9, 2019. #
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Read moreJoey Swan plays on a trampoline on September 10, 2019. #
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Read moreJerry Norton dresses warmly on a cool morning in Kivalina, on September 14, 2019. #
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Read moreIkey Hank hangs out in his home, which is dangerously close to a place where the ground is eroding away, on September 15, 2019. He said that about 10 years ago is when he noticed the erosion and is hopeful his home will be moved before it crashes into the lagoon. #
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Read moreJeremy Hawley, 3, stands near his uncle's home, which is dangerously close to where the permafrost is melting and causing the ground to erode away on September 15, 2019. #
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Read moreAn aerial view shows most of the village of Kivalina, on September 10, 2019. The road visible at bottom is being built across the lagoon as an escape route for the village's people in case the ocean waters threaten. #
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