From Alaska to COP30: Indigenous Voices on Climate Change
by joelnix boada - huella zero
From Belém, Brazil, activist Sunny Ahkivgak denounced the effects of climate change in Alaska, where ice is forming later, and traditional hunting routes become unstable.
Sunny Ahkivgak comes from Utqiagvik, formerly Barrow, a town on Alaska’s northern coast, and says they are experiencing the effects of climate change on the frontline. Since COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the activist has commented that she has heard many stories about what her people were like before this tipping point.
The young woman is an organizing and activism leader at Native Movement, an Alaska-based nonprofit that empowers people, advocates for Indigenous rights and social justice, and develops sustainable communities.
“The ocean used to freeze in September, but now it doesn’t freeze until later in the season, like November. That ice is essential for the stability of our community and to apply our traditional knowledge in hunting practices,” she said. The village of Utqiaġvik is home to the indigenous Inupiaq tribe.
Although Sunny now lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, she has observed that in West Coast towns, people fall through the ice because the surface is not firm.
“Our traditional knowledge is becoming more and more unstable, and more and more people are getting hurt by falling through the ice. The migration routes of the animals we depend on for life — and our culture — have also become unstable,” she said. She added that making what is happening in the Arctic visible is essential, since it serves as a regulator for the rest of the planet. She explained that all ocean and wind currents eventually end up in the Arctic, as does the pollution generated anywhere in the world. Alaska Resists Climate Change Sunny Ahkivgak said that although the Arctic may seem far away, the reality is that we are all connected to it in some way.
“Our communities are also very polluted. In addition, birds from all continents migrate to Alaska and the Arctic in summer. So, any changes in our homelands and in the Arctic will have impacts on the animals that migrate there as well,” she said. Sunny also said that art in Alaska seeks to revive the knowledge and experiences of ancestral peoples, deeply linked to nature and language, as a way of preserving local history. “It’s very connected spiritually, linguistically, and environmentally, and as the climate changes, it’s hard to know where our art will end up as well.”
A few weeks ago, Typhoon Halong impacted Alaska’s West Coast, becoming one of the most destructive storms to hit communities in the state in recent years.
The event resulted in the displacement of more than 2,000 Alaska natives from their villages and the loss of two lives. In addition, catastrophic flooding affected the homes of thousands of people. Ahkivgak warned: “These storms are becoming more and more unpredictable as the weather worsens.”
She stressed that rural Alaskan communities lack the funds and resources needed to respond to these crises as urban areas do. Displacement from villages involves uprooting entire lives and traveling hundreds of miles to unfamiliar cities, leading to a disconnect from traditional foods and drastic changes in diet. Sunny emphasized the need to reflect on how communities can prepare to build resilience: “What does food security mean when the systems we depend on are disconnected or disrupted due to climate change?”
