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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An 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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Joe 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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Doreen 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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Wiley 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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From 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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A 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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Barbara 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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Ikey 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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Jeremy 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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An 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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