Alaska Native villages face relocation due to climate change

In Hooper Bay, Alaska, environmental changes, including warming temperatures, flooding, and thawing permafrost, have made survival increasingly difficult for its 1,400 residents. A recent FRONTLINE documentary highlights the potential relocation of the Native Village of Paimiut due to severe coastal erosion and rising sea levels. The loss of sea ice, once a protective barrier, exacerbates the problem. Many residents, like Agatha Napoleon, fear the erosion will soon force them to leave their ancestral lands. For more information, watch Alaska’s Vanishing Native Villages on PBS starting April 22, 2025.