| “The impacts of climate change are happening here earlier and more dramatically than in many other states.” | |
| Terry Johnson, Alaska Sea Grant | |
Coastal communities in Alaska are threatened by climate-change-related impacts that include melting sea ice, ocean acidification, and shifts in sea animals, game, and harvested plants. Despite these changes, many Alaskans express skepticism about the reality or seriousness of climate change.
Yet seacoast villagers and native Alaskan coastal residents are much more likely to maintain their ways of life if they become aware of local impacts and find ways to adapt. Local economies are often highly dependent on natural resources, and subsistence hunting, harvesting, and fishing practices have been passed down for generations.
A new online resource provides tools, videos, and publications that can raise climate change awareness and support local adaptation efforts. The site, Living on Alaska’s Changing Coast: Adapting to Climate Change in Coastal Alaska, was developed by Alaska Sea Grant.
“The impacts of climate change are happening here earlier and more dramatically than in many other states,” says Terry Johnson, a Marine Advisory Program agent for Alaska Sea Grant.
For instance, intensified storm surges and thawing permafrost are contributing to coastal erosion in Alaska, with some shorelines receding up to 100 feet after a single storm. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports that 160 communities in the state are threatened by climate-related erosion, and six communities are planning partial or total relocation.
Living on Alaska’s Changing Coast aims to reach coastal communities and businesses on the front lines of change. “Our message is that there is such a thing as climate change, that many things they’ve observed are backed up by the findings of scientists, and that they can find ways to adapt, either on their own or with technical assistance,” says Johnson.
Fact sheets and videos reinforce this message. On-the-ground observations by native Alaskan villagers are paired with scientific findings on subjects such as storm surge and permafrost.
“Our hope is that, for example, someone living along the Bering Sea coast reads the fact sheets or listens to the interviews of people in his area and thinks, ‘I’ve noticed that change, too,’” notes Johnson.
The site’s adaptation resources reflect Alaska Sea Grant’s outreach approach: “We get the dialogue going by posing questions and offering support when invited, not telling people what to do,” says Johnson. The question-and-answer format can help communities identify concerns, suggest different adaptation strategies, consider the practical benefits of each strategy, and arrive at a plan for implementation.
Early responses to the website have been positive, and additional funding by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy will enable Alaska Sea Grant to develop and add more resources.
Is Johnson concerned about reaching the target audience? “We don’t expect major access problems,” emphasizes Johnson, “because even remote villages are surprisingly well-connected to the Web.”
To view Living on Alaska’s Changing Coast, go to http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/climate/index.php. For more information, contact Terry Johnson at (907) 274-9695 or terry.johnson@alaska.edu.
