The residents of the northern Alaskan village of Shishmaref are currently voting to decide whether or not to relocate their village. As global warming brings up temperatures, the sea ice that once protected the village has begun to melt. Now the town, which is built on a barrier island in the Chukchi sea, faces inundation.
The village, with its 650 residents, mostly members of the Inupiat Inuit tribe, would be the first in the United States to relocate because of global warming-induced sea level rise. The effects of climate change on the island are considered among the most dramatic in the world. Already, the village has lost 2,500 to 3,500 feet of land to coastal erosion and the entire island could be gone within the next couple decades.
While barricades have been erected to protect the village, their effect has been minimal. The town is built on permafrost, which is melting and causing the shore to become even more vulnerable to crashing waves.
If the vote goes through, the cost of moving the village would amount to an estimated $180 million. Shishmaref is one of 12 villages contemplating relocation. 31 villages face "imminent threats" due to sea level rise.
Want to know more about how architects are responding to sea level rise? Check out At home in a changing climate: strategies for adapating to sea level rise
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1 Comment
for less than 180 million a very nice dike can be built around the whole island. call the dutch for inspiration.
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