Vulnerability Assessment

Reduce Your Risk Although your community has little control over exposure to climate impacts such as increasing temperatures or thawing permafrost, you can still reduce your vulnerability by decreasing your sensitivity to climate risks. Things you can do Grow your economy Preserve health and adapt culture Improve infrastructure Grow your economy Jaqueline Ramsey, Alutiiq Pride…

Adaptation Examples This greenhouse in Tok, Alaska helps provide fresh produce for area residents. Each of these sample adaptation plans has a different focus: Subsistence (Tlingit and Haida) Culture (Oscarville) Infrastructure (Shaktoolik) Community health (Nome) These plans are based on conversations, vulnerability assessments, monitoring, mitigation, and decisions about the focus of adaptation for a community.…

Monitor and Evaluate Community-based monitoring is critical to understanding how much and how quickly climate change is affecting the local environment. Researchers and citizen scientists can work together to improve understanding of complex climate and ecosystem dynamics by: collaborating on coastal erosion or water temperature monitoring projects collecting and sharing Indigenous knowledge, local community observations,…

How Vulnerable are You? Port Heiden erosion near Goldfish Lake. This image was taken in spring 2018. The erosion breached the lake in late 2019. Learn how your community is vulnerable to climate change impacts, so that you can prepare appropriately. You can do this by completing a Vulnerability Assessment and/or by participating in Scenario Planning exercises.…

Start the Conversation Holding a resilience workshop is a good way to start your journey towards adaptation Promoting Coastal Resilience in Arctic Alaska workshop, Unalaska, AK. Climate experts can provide data and decision support tools to the community. Community members can voice their own observations of change and describe how changes are impacting their way…

Make a Plan Protecting the coast in Savoonga, AK. Climate change affects all of Alaska Impacts include loss of Arctic sea ice, permafrost thaw, ocean acidification, warmer waters, snowfall variations, invasive species, marine toxins, heavy rain causing flooding, and unusual weather events that affect food availability. Learn more about change Rural community residents in Alaska…