The scientists might think that they are studying a land that is barren and unoccupied by humans. However, the Arctic actually has had people living in it for a very long time. Many local Indigenous peoples in the Arctic like to remind visiting scientists that they are studying land that is someone’s backyard.
Many of you may hear that Arctic communities are facing many threats due to climate change. It is important to remember that there are thousands of small communities scattered across the Arctic, with hundreds of them located in Alaska. Each of these communities in the Arctic experiences climate change differently. The most important reason why each village experiences climate change differently is because each community is located in different areas. Some communities are located on muddy riverbanks, some are located on sandy islands, some are located on melting permafrost, and some are located on rocky mountains. The second most important reason why villages in the Arctic experience climate change differently is because some villages have good access to resources such as groceries, fuel, building supplies and medical services.
Some communities in the Arctic have daily airplane flights that bring them supplies, and some villages rely on once-per-year deliveries of resources. Also, some places might have resources such as oil or gold that they sell from their land, which might mean they have more money to buy the things they need, like houses, vehicles and food. To be completely honest, it varies greatly in the Arctic, as some villages have running water and flush toilets, and some villages have to dispose of their own human waste and melt snow and ice to make water to drink and wash their hands.
