The Island That Was Swallowed by the Sea

If you’ve ever wanted proof that climate change isn’t some far-off problem but a present-day crisis, you need only look at Shishmaref, Alaska — a small island village that is, quite literally, disappearing beneath the waves.

A Village Older Than the U.S.

Shishmaref has been home to the Inupiat people for more than 400 years.
Generations have hunted walrus, fished for salmon, and gathered berries on this narrow barrier island just off Alaska’s coast.
Life was harsh, but the community endured, their traditions woven tightly with the icy land and sea.

When the Ice Stopped Protecting Them

For centuries, winter sea ice formed early and stayed late, acting like a shield against powerful storms.
But in recent decades, that ice has been forming later and melting earlier.
Now, when storms hit, there’s nothing to break the waves before they crash into the shore.

Entire chunks of coastline have been torn away, houses teetering on the edge before collapsing into the ocean.
Erosion eats about 10 feet of land each year — the equivalent of losing a front yard every few months.

A Vote to Leave Home

In 2016, residents voted to relocate the entire village to the mainland — an unimaginably painful choice.
It wasn’t just about moving houses.
It was about leaving the graves of ancestors, the hunting grounds, the berry fields, and the ocean that had fed them for centuries.

The estimated cost of relocation? $180 million — money that’s still not fully available.
Meanwhile, the waves keep coming.

A Warning for the World

Shishmaref isn’t an isolated story.
It’s a glimpse into what rising seas and melting ice will do to coastlines everywhere.
And it’s a reminder that once the land is gone, it’s gone forever.