Thinning Sea Ice and Thawing Permafrost: Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Nome, Alaska

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Birchall, Jeff S.
  • Bonnett, Nicole

• Climate change is among the most critical challenges facing local government decision-makers in the north. Yet while
  risk is clear, with climate impacts occurring there more rapidly than many regions on Earth, integrated policy and
  planning for climate adaptation often remains a low priority for decision-makers. In an effort to extend the discussion
  and contribute to scholarship in this area, this paper explores climate change stressors and policy response in the
  coastal town Nome, Alaska. Through narratives of local government key actors and informed by strategic planning
  documents, this study sheds light on the decision dynamics around local climate change actions as well as preparedness
  for climate variability in general. In particular, this work highlights that thinning sea ice and thawing permafrost are
  both having an influence on life in Nome. Yet climate change adaptation remains a low priority for decision-makers,
  with the link to strategic policy often peripheral and not solutions orientated. As Nome is not unique in its need to
  adapt to climate change, findings from this work may provide communities experiencing similar climate stressors with
  awareness for the importance of incorporating adaptation thinking with long-term strategic policy and planning.

• Date created

  2019-07-02

• Subjects / Keywords

  • local government decision-makers
  • community planning
  • coastal towns
  • climate change resilience
  • climate adaptation

• Type of Item

  Article (Draft / Submitted)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-0hr6-mc03

• License

  Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International