Alaska's coastal villagers are dealing ...immediate consequences

Relocated House on triodetic foundation in the Inupiat Eskimo village of Shishmaref, Alaska, is seen in this handout photo from October 2001. A young hunter died in early 2007 after falling into thin ice in Shishmaref, a village often characterized as the place experiencing the most dramatic effects of climate change. At risk from surging storm waves and floods, Alaska's coastal villagers are dealing with the immediate consequences of climate change -- threats to their health, safety and even their ancestors' graves

A handout photo from 2004 shows coastal erosion of mud-rich permafrost along Beaufort Sea coastline at Drew Point in Alaska. At risk from surging storm waves and floods, Alaska's coastal villagers are dealing with the immediate consequences of climate change -- threats to their health, safety and even their ancestors' graves. The rapid erosion of the state's coastline is blamed on the scarcity of sea ice and thawing of permafrost. Without solid ice to shield the land, and without hard-frozen conditions to keep it held fast, encroaching waves and floods easily carve large chunks from shorelines or riverbanks.

West View of Inupiat Eskimo village Shishmaref, Alaska, is seen in this file photo from April 2003. A young hunter died in early 2007 after falling into thin ice in Shishmaref, a village often characterized as the place experiencing the most dramatic effects of climate change. At risk from surging storm waves and floods, Alaska's coastal villagers are dealing with the immediate consequences of climate change -- threats to their health, safety and even their ancestors' graves