Co-published by EHRP, KYUK, and NPR-affiliate WWNO.

Sage Smiley and Katie Baldwin Basile report on how the climate crisis is displacing Indigenous communities in both Alaska and Louisiana. Listen to the full “Sea Change” episode, and watch a clip from the episode on NPR’s Instagram (viewed nearly 250,000 times so far).

From Sea Change:

Climate change is altering the land we live on, and Indigenous communities are on the frontline. In this episode, we bring you to Alaska, where rapid permafrost thaw is threatening the Native village of Nunapitchuk. Then, we head to Louisiana, where the Pointe-Au-Chien Indian Tribe is watching their land disappear underwater due to sea level rise. These threats are forcing these tribes to make the difficult decision: to stay and adapt, or to leave their ancestral home.

This episode was reported by Eva Tesfaye and KYUK News Director Sage Smiley. This episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Additional help from Carlyle Calhoun, Katie Basile, and Ryan Vasquez. The episode was fact-checked by Garrett Hazelwood. Sea Change’s executive producer is Carlyle Calhoun. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound designer is Emily Jankowski.