ABSTRACT
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that climate change will displace 150 million people by 2050. Erosion, flooding and sea level rise will be the primary causes. In the Arctic, increased temperatures are melting sea ice rapidly. Record minimum levels have been recorded since 2007. These climate-induced biophysical changes threaten coastal communities. Connected by the Pacific Ocean, the Newtok Traditional Council (NTC) in Alaska and Tulele Peisa, a Carteret Islands non-governmental organization (NGO) in Papua New Guinea, are mobilizing their communities to relocate because the ocean that provides them food now eats their shorelines. In Newtok, thawing permafrost and increased storm surges accelerate erosion, causing homes and community infrastructure to fall into the water. In the Carterets, king tides inundate the land, creating swamps where malarial mosquitoes breed. Areas that previously held food gardens are now underwater. Saline intrusion destroys the drinking water supply in both communities.
