--- description: The Alaskan village of Shishmaref votes to escape rising sea levels and relocate to the mainland title: Alaskan Village Votes to Relocate Because of Global Warming Threat image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b7db28bfb137d53/6988a2d8bc6cfc062f3de4ac/shishmaref-alaska-votes-to-move.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Alaskan Village Votes to Relocate Because of Global Warming Threat  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 18, 2016 6:48 PM CUT  The village of Shishmaref, Alaska, which sits upon the Chukchi sea, is seen on July 9, 2015. The village of Shishmaref, Alaska, which sits upon the Chukchi sea, is seen on July 9, 2015.Andrew Burton—Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 18, 2016 6:48 PM CUT The village of Shishmaref in Alaska voted on Tuesday to [relocate to the state’s mainland](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/18/us/alaskan-town-votes-to-move/index.html "undefined") because global warming and rising sea levels. Most of the village’s 169 registered voters took part town hall meeting, deciding in a vote of 89-78 to move from their ancestral land on Sarichef Island, near the Arctic circle, [according to CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/18/us/alaskan-town-votes-to-move/index.html "undefined"). Shishmaref Council secretary Donna Barr [said the vote](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/18/us/alaskan-town-votes-to-move/index.html "undefined") was largely symbolic because it will be costly financially to the community. “About 15 years ago, they estimated the cost at $180 million, but I would figure it’s much higher now,” Barr said, according to CNN. “We don’t see the move happening in our lifetime because of the funding.” The village’s roughly 650 residents have seen warming temperatures melt sea ice and permafrost, which has resulted in houses falling into the water, CNN reports. At least 31 villages [in Alaska](http://time.com/4018544/obama-climate-change-alaska/ "undefined") face “imminent threats” due to climate change, the Government Accountability Office [reported](http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09551.pdf "undefined") in 2009. \[[_CNN_](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/18/us/alaskan-town-votes-to-move/index.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4457882/alaska-village-shishmaref-move-global-warming/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4457882/alaska-village-shishmaref-move-global-warming/"},"headline":"Alaskan Village Votes to Relocate Because of Global Warming Threat","datePublished":"2016-08-18T18:48:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:04:36.784Z","description":"The island village voted to move to mainland","url":"https://time.com/4457882/alaska-village-shishmaref-move-global-warming/","keywords":["Alaska","climate change"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b7db28bfb137d53/6988a2d8bc6cfc062f3de4ac/shishmaref-alaska-votes-to-move.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b7db28bfb137d53/6988a2d8bc6cfc062f3de4ac/shishmaref-alaska-votes-to-move.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"shishmaref alaska votes to move","caption":"shishmaref alaska votes to move","creditText":"Andrew Burton—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4457882/alaska-village-shishmaref-move-global-warming/","name":"Alaskan Village Votes to Relocate Because of Global Warming Threat"}}]}] ```