Forced to Relocate by Climate Change, These Southwest Alaska Villagers Found a New Crisis

Forced to relocate by climate change, these Southwest Alaska villagers found a new crisis

Newtok’s relocation to the new site of Mertarvik, where much of the infrastructure is already failing, highlights the nation’s failure to prepare for the ways climate change is making some places uninhabitable.

How a model for climate relocation fell apart in Alaska

A federally backed effort to move an Alaskan village sinking into the tundra was supposed to be a national model, but the result is a blueprint for how not to do climate relocation.Emily Schwing reports for ProPublica, KYUK, and The Washington Post.In short:Nearly 300 residents of Newtok, Alaska, relocated to Mertarvik to escape thawing permafrost, but the new homes are falling apart — lacking insulation, plumbing, or electricity — and raising h…

Newtok, Alaska, Was Supposed to Be a Model for Climate Relocation. Here’s How It Went Wrong.

The project’s challenges highlight how ill-prepared the U.S. is to respond to the way climate change is making some places uninhabitable.