Globally, an estimated 1.4 billion people may have to relocate due to rising seas by 2060—but Newtok, Alaska, must move now. Built on a delta at the edge of the Bering Sea, the tiny Yup’ik village has been dealing with melting permafrost, river erosion and decaying infrastructure for decades. To keep their culture and community intact, the 360 Yup’ik residents must relocate their entire village to stable ground while facing a federal government that has failed to take appropriate action to combat climate change. In moving their village, they will become some of America’s first climate change refugees. This photography series was documented over a 6-month period in Newtok, AK in 2019 as part of a feature-length documentary film project called NEWTOK.
