Newtok: The Water is Rising
The Alaska town of Newtok is on the brink of disappearing from the map entirely. Newtok, home of the indigenous Yup’ik people of the Arctic in the coastal delta of the Bering Sea, is being submerged. Through no fault of their own, they are victims of the worst-case scenario of climate change.
Due to Newtok’s location near the planet’s poles, the planet’s temperature has risen much faster in recent decades. Arctic permafrost is melting, rivers are eroding, water levels are rising, pushing once-distant shores to their doorstep, and homes are sinking and collapsing into the ground at an alarming rate.
As a result of this looming ecological disaster, Newtok’s municipal infrastructure has severely deteriorated. Communities whose landfills have been washed into the sea are plagued by frequent coastal storms and flooding, and vital utilities such as water and electricity are unstable.
Its 380 residents often have to deal with wet and muddy conditions. Many homes were demolished, demolished or uninhabitable as they were at risk of collapsing. Newtok’s economy is also suffering, with nearly 40 percent of the population living at or below the poverty line.
Today, Newtok residents fight to survive – not just for their city, but for their way of life and cultural identity as Indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Yup’ik’s tradition of hunting marine mammals such as seals, walruses and whales is affected. They also gather berries and other plants to supplement their diet.
Due to the dramatic changes in the urban ecosystem, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to maintain their traditional diet and lifestyle. There is no solution on the horizon other than moving the entire city and moving to more stable and higher terrain.
For nearly two decades, Newtok residents have been waiting and preparing to relocate, and it is not thanks to a lack of political will and government inaction. The new location is the town of Mertarvik, and after years of construction delays, 18 Newtok families arrived in 2019 and moved into newly built energy-efficient homes.
Many more have yet to move, but they will have to wait until enough new homes are ready. The initial target date was at least 2023. However, the pandemic may have caused delays.
Many people don’t want to move, but have no choice. Their lives are forged in Newtok and they are sure to experience separation anxiety. However, they are also looking for – and are moving – a place where better services can be provided and where the ecology is safe, stable and secure. Even though the Mertarvik are further away from their traditional hunting grounds, they are slowly adapting to the situation, naturally being patient, flexible and adaptable.
The city of Newtok will slowly disappear as more and more people move out, but it will live on in the spirit and memory of their families.
Directed by: Andrew Burton, Michael Kirby Smith
