The Climate of Man

Monica Cambi

Elizabeth Kolbert, journalist for “The New Yorker,” first introduces Shishmaref with enough background information to understand the articles’ geography and sudden change.
Shishmaref is the only village that is located in the island of the Seward Peninsula, and has a small population of 591 inhabitants in the village which is surrounded by the Chukchi Sea. In this area, the lifestyle of the Alaskan natives has created a gap between the ancient and modern lifestyles’. During her visit to this village she noticed a change in climate. Her tour guide was Tony Weyiouanna, transportation control man on the island. He explained to her that while men hunted they traveled by snowmobiles that would take them close to the shore of the sea. But as a result of climate disruption, men were not taking there snowmobiles and using boats as a new source of hunting. It was not only the issue of snowmobile usage but of the sudden change in the seas’ behavior. The frequency of storms occurring in the area was relatively high and disastrous that it caused residents to advocate for the villages’ relocation. It was not only going to be a tedious situation but a costly one as well, which amounted to a hundred and eighty million dollars. There was no caution taken towards the issue of global warming until the scientists from the National Academy of Sciences incepted a research of the area. Their results from their research resulted in notifying President Jimmy Carter of the sudden change.
Twenty five years later and people still did nothing to take care of the problem even though many books and information have been sent out about it to the world. The record that showed how the temperature was changing began in 1990; this year was recorded as the hottest year until the preceding year went up to the same temperature. Ever since then, the next preceding years temperatures have begun to rise. It was The American Geophysical Union that said that the problem was resolved. Since it’s a well known and respected scientific corporation not many thought of questioning anyone about it. More noticeable changes have occurred in Glacier National Park where the ice is predicted to entirely disappear by 2030. The beginnings of summertime temperatures in Alaska were becoming relatively high, especially in Fairbanks. It has been recorded that in this town of Alaska, the temperature was the highest yet. A result from the high temperatures’ was the growing of spruce trees. They grew in odd directions off the trench of ice that had begun to melt. These trees were called the “drunken trees” due to there erratic shape and location. Disastrous results such as peoples’ front yards of melting ice-wedges made people try to readjust their homes to the sudden physical changes occurring in town. This change was not only occurring in Alaska but in Antarctica too. Similarly like the town in Alaska, there was the danger of another village disappearing.
It is due to the cause of greenhouse gases and the release of methane in the oceans that have speed up the global change. According to Elizabeth Kolbert, people do not start to advocate for solutions until they can feel the affects of the situation themselves. As a result the situation has become overly worse and difficult to address, nevertheless resolve it entirely. Due to many scientist experimentation and recording of changes, it can be safe to say that by 2080 the Arctic would no longer exist. People are trying to bring back the equilibrium that the earth once had by decreasing the atmospheres exposure of greenhouse gases. The possibility of this occurring is not very high. Elizabeth tells us that by the time we realize the situation it might be too late to find a solution.