Climate & Environment

In the face of rising seas, tribes face difficult decisions

Boise State Public Radio News | By Daniel Spaulding

Published July 23, 2025 at 8:37 PM MDT

Mavis Alexie-Felix and Stephan Dock play on the boardwalks that run through the village. Permafrost heaves cause the boardwalk to become uneven and difficult to maintain. July 24, 2024 in Nunapitchuk, Alaska.

As the climate crisis worsens, the very ground on which some Indigenous communities built their homes is shifting before their eyes. A new podcast from New Orleans Public Radio's Eva Tesfaye and KYUK's Sage Smiley looked at how tribes in Alaska and Louisiana are losing their land to climate change, forcing them to make tough decisions about whether to stay or to leave.

In the Native village of Nunapitchuk, permafrost thaw is threatening the community, which is trying to relocate. On the other hand, the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe in Louisiana is doing what it can to stay on its lands, despite the rising waters. Our Living Lands' producer Daniel Spaulding spoke with Tesfaye about the story.

"It's really important for people to hear from communities like Pointe-Au-Chien to understand why people who live in these precarious places, that are getting even more precarious because of climate change, want to stay where they are," Tesfaye said.