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Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Polar regions are some of the first places expected to feel strong effects from climate change. The town of Shishmaref in North West Alaska is threatened as sea levels rise and permafrost melts.
Permafrost is “sub-soil remaining below freezing-point throughout the year in polar regions” [Concise Oxford Dictionary]. As permafrost melts, houses which have been built on it start to tilt and collapse.
US Energy use (per person, per year)
8.4 tonnes oil equivalent [1]
CO2 released per person 21 tonnes [1]
Energy use sources [mostly 2000 figures]
[1] State of the World Atlas, 2004, Dan Smith, Earthscan
For more on Shishmaref see Introduction >
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Photograph: ©Ashley Cooper
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