The opening sessions provided attendees with an introduction of Permafrost Pathways and highlighted the roles of project partners at Woodwell Climate Research Center, the Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, the Alaska Institute for Justice, and the Alaska Native Science Commission. US Government officials—including representatives from the White House Arctic Executive Steering Committee, Department of State, Department of Interior, the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Denali Commission—shared information about some of the existing federal permafrost projects and climate resilience and adaptation initiatives followed by opportunities for all participants to give brief descriptions of their permafrost-focused interests and relevant work.

During the opening plenary sessions, Permafrost Pathways Tribal Liaisons shared observations of permafrost thaw and other environmental changes currently impacting their communities due to climate change.

Community Report: Climate Crisis in Kuigilnguq (Kwigillingok)

Community Report: Climate Crisis in Nunapicuaq (Nunapitchuk)

The Alaska Native villages of Kuigilnguq (Kwigillingok) and Nunapicuaq (Nunapitchuk) are two of at least 73 villages imminently threatened by permafrost thaw, flooding, and erosion and are making difficult decisions about adaptation and community-wide relocation in order to protect their communities and traditional lifeways from the impacts of the climate crisis. 

Following the morning plenary presentations were three individual breakout sessions focused on the following:

1. Identifying and prioritizing policy actions that advance adaptation to and resilience against the impacts of permafrost thaw across the Arctic
2. Policy actions for environmentally threatened communities in Alaska
3. Incorporation of permafrost emissions in national and global emission targets

The two-day convening brought together many potential collaborators who are currently working on Arctic adaptation, resilience, and mitigation projects and identified more opportunities for engaging with Permafrost Pathways. Attendees agreed that the convening successfully amplified voices of Alaska Native tribes—who are among those most affected by permafrost thaw—and delivered insights and updates from those who are leading responsive interventions across several federal government agencies.

To learn more about breakout session findings and next steps identified by convening participants, read the summarized convening report.

Thank you to our convening participants:

Morris Alexie
Permafrost Pathways Tribal Liaison
Alaska Native Village of Nunapitchuk

Luke Apsia
Fellow
Division of Wilderness Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital

Benjamin Baldwin
Climate Justice Tribal Liaison
Alaska Institute for Justice

David Balton
Executive Director
Arctic Executive Steering Committee

Tracy Barquinero
Arctic Project Manager
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Robin Bronen
Executive Director
Permafrost Pathways Project Co-Lead
Alaska Institute for Justice

Maxine Burkett
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Fisheries, and Polar Affairs
US State Department

Julius Carl
Permafrost Pathways Tribal Liaison
Alaska Native Village of Kwigillingok

Malinda Chase
Tribal Resilience Liaison
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Tribal Resilience Learning Network

Joel Clement
Senior Fellow
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Patricia Cochran
Executive Director
Alaska Native Science Commission

Liz Qaulluq Cravalho
Director
NANA, Lands Department

Tad Homer Dixon
Director
Cascade Institute (Vancouver Island)

Gary Evon
Permafrost Pathways Tribal Liaison
Alaska Native Village of Kwigillingok

Jocelyn Fenton
Director
Denali Commission

Nadia Filimonova
Fellow
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Peter Frumhoff
Senior Science Policy Advisor
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Professor, Environmental Science and Public Policy
Harvard University

Kate Guy
Senior Advisor
US State Department

Steven Hamburg
Chief Scientist
Environmental Defense Fund

Liz Hanlon
Communications and Outreach Specialist
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Stuart Harris
Chief, Division of Wilderness Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
Harvard Medical School

John Holdren
Research Professor, Environmental Policy
Permafrost Pathways Project Co-Lead
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Jessica Howard
Arctic Communications Specialist, Permafrost Pathways
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Amy Imdieke
Science Communications and Administration Manager
International Climate Cryosphere Initiative

Brittany Janis
Associate Director
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Jolene John
Deputy Administrator
US Housing and Urban Development Agency

Reggie Joule
Community Representative
Village of Kotzebue

Kumari Karunaratne
President
Canadian Permafrost Association

Brenden Kelly
Executive Director
Study of Environmental Arctic Change
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Nic Kinsman
Alaska Regional Advisor
NOAA

Roberta Marinelli
Director, Office of Polar Programs
National Science Foundation

Susan Natali
Arctic Program Director, Senior Scientist
Permafrost Pathways Project Lead
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Hannah Perls
Environmental Energy and Law Legal Fellow
Harvard Law School

Rebecca Pincus
Director
Wilson Center Polar Institute

Gunn-Britt Retter
Head of Arctic & Environment Unit
Saami Council

Rolf Rødven
Executive Secretary
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme

Brendan Rogers
Associate Scientist
Permafrost Pathways Project Co-Lead
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Bernice Sallison
Permafrost Pathways Tribal Liaison
Alaska Native Village of Nunapitchuk

Christina Schaedel
Senior Research Scientist
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Melissa Shapiro
Arctic Policy Specialist
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Jennifer Spence
Senior Fellow
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Michaela Stith
Climate Justice Director
Native Movement

Raina Theile
Senior Advisor to Secretary, Alaskan Affairs
Department of Interior

Rachael Treharne
Research Scientist, Arctic Policy Lead
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Fran Ulmer
Senior Fellow
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Karin Vander Schaaf
Administrative Coordinator
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative

Rockford Weitz
Head of Arctic Program
Tufts Fletcher School

Brooke Woods
Arctic Policy Coordinator
Woodwell Climate Research Center

Wilfried Kuugauraq Zibell
Project Coordinator
Harvard University, Arctic Initiative