Abstract
This chapter presents the experiences of two communities in the United States that are gradually being reduced in size and habitability by coastal erosion due to rising sea levels. An Inupiat community located on the Bering Strait, Kivalina, is one of Alaska’s most eroded coastal villages and the only one that has begun a physical move. Located in Southeastern Louisiana, residents of Isle de Jean Charles represent the first allocation of federal tax dollars to move an entire community struggling with the impacts of climate change. The divisions within the community the effort has exposed and the logistical and moral dilemmas it has presented provide a microcosm the massive problems the world could face in the coming decades as it confronts a new category of displaced people known as climigrants. While the chapter will address the reasons for the relocation and the health and economic effects of relocation on community residents, it will focus primarily on the social conflicts that have arisen in response to relocation efforts. It will also examine how the experiences of these two communities serve as a model for the experience of other indigenous coastal communities around the world.
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Palinkas, L.A. (2020). Fleeing Coastal Erosion: Kivalina and Isle de Jean Charles. In: Global Climate Change, Population Displacement, and Public Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41890-8_7
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