Alaska

Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve

Federal judge blocks major Alaskan drilling project

A major Alaska drilling project that would tap into 600 million barrels of oil has been put on hold by a federal judge.

Federal judge blocks major Alaskan drilling project
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge caribou aerial

Trump administration tries to sell off Arctic wildlife refuge in its final days

Trump administration tries to sell off Arctic wildlife refuge in its final days
A man raises his left arm in protest.

Indigenous youth take global stage in Madrid to voice climate change worries 

Indigenous youth take global stage in Madrid to voice climate change worries 
crew

From the USSR with love: A sailor’s 50-year-old message in a bottle makes it to Alaska

From the USSR with love: A sailor’s 50-year-old message in a bottle makes it to Alaska
A cityscape of Anchorage, Alaska with dog-sled racers and mountains

With an Indigenous perspective, Anchorage seeks to adapt to climate change even if Alaska doesn’t

With an Indigenous perspective, Anchorage seeks to adapt to climate change even if Alaska doesn’t
portrait

As the Arctic warms up, a 'new ocean' is bringing new commerce to the top of the world

As the Arctic warms, it’s opening up a whole new economic frontier, with big opportunities for tourism, shipping and resource development, including oil and gas. But that also brings a whole new array of risks for the region and the world.

As the Arctic warms up, a 'new ocean' is bringing new commerce to the top of the world
sea ice

Ice is us: Alaska Natives face the demise of the Arctic ice pack

Sea ice plays a big role in keeping the earth cool, but it's disappearing fast. No one knows this better, or is more directly affected, than the Arctic's native communities, whose economy and culture are deeply interwoven with ice.

Ice is us: Alaska Natives face the demise of the Arctic ice pack
A person walks through a puddle in Shismaref, Alaska.

An Alaskan village is falling into the sea. Washington is looking the other way.

Shishmaref, Alaska, home to a tightly knit Iñpuiat community of 600 people, is ground zero for climate change in the Arctic. What happens here could foreshadow the fates of other US coastal communities. Why won't Washington pay attention?

An Alaskan village is falling into the sea. Washington is looking the other way.
A slate-blue sea stretches out on the horizon. In the foreground, green grass is dotted with wildflowers.

For some Alaska Natives, the Bering Sea and an international border makes it hard to go home

For generations, Alaskan Natives crossed the Bering Sea to visit family on nearby islands. It’s harder today, thanks to international politics, high costs and weather.

For some Alaska Natives, the Bering Sea and an international border makes it hard to go home
Red gloved hands grab a fish out of a huge pile of silver skinned salmon.

Alaska's seafood industry waits for China tariff pain

After working for years to attract the Chinese market, Alaska's seafood industry now faces a 25 percent tariff, a response to the Trump administration's levies on Chinese goods.

Alaska's seafood industry waits for China tariff pain
Mastodons (this one on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles) are just a small part of the story of how humans first migrated to the Americas 15,000 years ago — or longer.

Retracing paths that people first traversed while migrating to the Americas

When it comes to the first people arriving in the Americas during the Ice Age from Asia, Craig Childs says it is a "blank space" in the collective memory of most Americans. His newest book fills up that space with firsthand adventures and exploration.

Retracing paths that people first traversed while migrating to the Americas
Alaska oil pipeline

Can Alaska rely on oil and address climate change? State officials are about to find out.

In Alaska, climate change is melting permafrost and bringing stronger storms and rising seas that are eroding coastlines. But Alaska faces a dilemma: 90 percent of state revenues come from fossil fuel, but burning oil and gas add to global warming. What’s to be done?

Can Alaska rely on oil and address climate change? State officials are about to find out.
Red Dog Mine

The most toxic town in America

In 2017, the EPA listed Kotzebue, Alaska, the most industrially polluted community in the United States — a result of millions of pounds of poisonous dust laden with heavy metals released annually from zinc and lead mining at nearby Red Dog Mine.

The most toxic town in America
a group of people in a field holding traditional grass baskets

Attu descendants visit their ancestral home for the first time

In 1942, there were 44 people living on Attu Island, nearly all Alaska Natives. They were taken as captives to Japan, where half of them died. And after the war, the federal government forbade them from returning.

Attu descendants visit their ancestral home for the first time
attu

Seventy-five years after the Battle of Attu, veterans reflect on the cost of reclaiming US soil

Seventy-five years ago, Japan and the United States were locked in one of the bloodiest battles fought on American soil: the Battle of Attu.

Seventy-five years after the Battle of Attu, veterans reflect on the cost of reclaiming US soil