To me, the concept of belonging, of having a home base upon which I build my life, is very important. I know that it is for many others, too. It is a psychological truth that vagabonds are the exception rather than the rule in industrialized nations. So, what will happen when having a home base becomes increasingly difficult? Will people lose their psychological base? Let’s approach the question from a different angle.
Which of the myriad impacts of global warming will be the worst? Contemplating the possibilities should keep us up at night. Arguably more daunting, though, is the task of realizing that for many of the world’s most vulnerable cultures, the question is not hypothetical. It is very real and happening today, right now. These people are global warming refugees.
The island nation of Tuvalu receives much coverage in the press as the most likely nation to be swallowed by rising seas. Indeed, the residents of Tuvalu already know that the situation is dire. However, Tuvalu still exists on many maps, albeit with a modified profile. What about the Carteret Islands, though? I shared their plight with you in a post 6 months ago. Their ancient home has vanished.
The Carteret Islands are gone and unlikely to return for generations, if not centuries, if not millennia. What are those poor people supposed to do? They are global warming refugees.
In recent decades, millions of people have lost their cultural identity through war. Indeed, the largest nation to disappear in recent memory was the Soviet Union. However, the concept of Soviet nationality was dissimilar from that of many other nations because it was a forced union of distinct states.
However, what happens to ancient cultures whose entire physical existence is displaced nature? Do those people still have an identity? I don’t know. They are global warming refugees.
For the answer, we should turn our attention to the native Alaskan Eskimo people whose town of Shishmaref may fall into the Bering Sea in 2010, never to be seen again. The history of this ancient people is nomadic, as the history of many tribes of hunter gatherers often is. Even before Alaska became America’s 49th state, the residents of Shishmaref were forced to yield much of their nomadic past and settle in town. It was a difficult transition but now, most of the 100+ families who live in Shishmaref enjoy an anchored existence.
Thanks to global warming, no longer!
Like the ancient culture of Tuvalu, Shishmaref may be gone soon and every reader of my blog bears a fractional responsibility through inaction and complacency. How can we make amends? Well, as I have lobbied for a long time, embracing a carbon neutral lifestyle would be a very big step. However, you have an additional choice with an immediate impact. You can fight to help the people of Shishmaref save their cultural identity even as they move inland. The people of Shishmaref are global warming refugees but need not face cultural extinction.
The Shishmaref Erosion & Relocation Coalition is working hard to assure that the people of Shishmaref do not scatter when global warming brings the Bering Sea into their living rooms, dining rooms and garages. I encourage you to visit the coalition website to learn more and consider making a donation. It’s the least which anyone who uses fossil-derived energy can do!
You will find the coalition website at
shishmarefrelocation.com
Fomenting the Triple Bottom Line
Corbett Kroehler
2nd photo credit: Nome Nugget
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