Alaska is warming two to four times faster than the global average, transforming the state’s immutable-seeming landscape into a volatile environment where the ground itself is disappearing. As
undergoes "Arctic amplification," the thawing of permafrost—the frozen "glue" that has stabilized the region for millennia—is causing land to collapse, turning it into "Alaskan quicksand" and forcing entire Indigenous communities to consider permanent relocation.
The Devastating Effects of Climate Change in Western Alaska
Across Western Alaska, climate change is no longer a future concern. It is already reshaping coastlines, threatening infrastructure, disrupting daily life, and putting villages under growing pressure.
Social Impact
Cultural Dislocation: The potential displacement of coastal villages, such as Shishmaref, Kivalina, and Newtok, is severing ties to ancestral lands, jeopardizing subsistence lifestyles, and threatening to break down traditional knowledge sharing
Subsistence & Survival: Thawing permafrost and shifting sea ice have severely impacted hunting, fishing, and food storage, forcing residents to rely on expensive store-bought food and causing high levels of food insecurity.
Climate change in Western Alaska is an urgent humanitarian crisis, not just an environmental one, where rapid warming and erosion threaten to sever thousands of years of cultural tradition, destroy critical infrastructure, and force Indigenous communities to evacuate their ancestral lands. The crisis creates a profound injustice, where those least responsible for global warming face the immediate loss of their food security, homes, and way of life
Infrastructure Destruction: Thawing permafrost and coastal erosion—accelerated by a lack of sea ice—are causing severe damage to homes, utilities, and infrastructure, with over 30 Native villages in need of relocation.
Economical Impact
Infrastructure Destruction: Thawing permafrost and erosion threaten to cost billions for repair and relocation of vital infrastructure, such as roads, airports, and utilities.
Subsistence & Economy: Rising temperatures and sea-ice loss are destroying traditional food storage ("ice cellars") and reducing access to hunting and fishing, threatening both food security and local livelihoods.
Regional Inequality: Rural communities face the highest costs, while the region faces a disproportionate burden of the estimated $340–$700 million in annual net economic damage.
Heading 4
Climate change is dismantling the economic foundation of Western Alaska, with thawing permafrost and coastal erosion projected to cost the state billions in infrastructure damage while undermining subsistence economies. With costs potentially exceeding $5 billion over 50 years, this crisis directly threatens the survival of rural communities and traditional ways of life.
Current Human Impact of Climate Change
Scammon Bay, Population 610 and is heavily impacted by climate change, experiencing severe flooding and erosion that threaten infrastructure, including the local airport. The community is grappling with thawing permafrost and reduced sea ice, which remove natural coastal protections and increase vulnerability to intense storms.
Hooper Bay, population 1375, a Western Alaska Native village, is facing severe threats from climate change, including intense coastal erosion, thawing permafrost, and flooding from severe storms like 2022's Typhoon Merbok. These changes endanger critical infrastructure, destroy protective dunes, threaten subsistence hunting/fishing, and may eventually force relocation.
Chevak, population 1100, is facing intensifying climate threats, including rapid land loss from permafrost thaw, accelerating erosion, and increasingly severe flooding. These environmental changes are destabilizing critical infrastructure, such as homes and wastewater systems, while profoundly disrupting the traditional subsistence lifestyles that provide food security and cultural continuity for the community
Regional Safe Haven - Village of Paimiut
Along the coasts of the Bering Sea, entire communities are living with the knowledge that the next storm could take more land, destroy more safety, and push families closer to the edge. Coastal erosion is not theoretical here. The danger is real, it is growing, and for too many people there is simply nowhere safe to run.
That is why Paimiut matters.
Paimiut is not just a village site. It is a lifeline. A place of higher ground. A place of shelter. A place where the water cannot simply claim the land, and where families from across the region can find safety without losing their connection to home.
This is a chance to create a refuge for the Bering Sea region — not just for one village, but for all those who may one day need a safe place to go when the coast can no longer protect them. Supporting this effort means stepping into something urgent, human, and lasting: helping save lives, preserve culture, and build higher ground before more is lost.
Ways to Support
Planning
Support mapping, readiness, and site-planning work.
Housing
Help advance resilient housing concepts and community stability.
Infrastructure
Support utility, access, and regional infrastructure planning.
Project Vision
Paimiut is envisioned as a place of continuity, safety, and long-term possibility for families facing climate pressure and infrastructure risk in Western Alaska.
Why Paimiut Matters
This effort is about creating room for families, culture, and community stability to continue on stronger ground. It is a forward-looking project grounded in dignity, local priorities, and practical long-range planning.
Support can help strengthen readiness for housing, infrastructure, community coordination, and philanthropic partnership around a brighter future.
What Support
Can Help Advance
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Village and regional planning
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Housing and community readiness
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Infrastructure and utility planning
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Maps, concepts, and technical support
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Philanthropic and mission-aligned partnerships