Native Americans have experienced a dramatic decline in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic – but the drop has been in the making for generations

Unrelenting poverty, underemployment and historical trauma all contribute to the health challenges faced by Indigenous Americans.

Allison Kelliher, Assistant Professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of North Dakota • conversation
Feb. 3, 2023 ~8 min

Typhoon Merbok, fueled by unusually warm Pacific Ocean, pounded Alaska's vulnerable coastal communities at a critical time

Most of the flooded communities are Indigenous and rely on subsistence hunting that residents would normally be doing right now. Recovering from the damage will make that harder.

Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist, University of Alaska Fairbanks • conversation
Sept. 19, 2022 ~7 min


How the pandemic's unequal toll on people of color underlines US health inequities – and why solving them is so critical

Addressing racial and ethnic health gaps is becoming even more important as the US population continues its shift toward a minority-majority nation.

Abubakarr Jalloh, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Hollins University • conversation
Jan. 19, 2022 ~8 min

2021 Arctic Report Card reveals a (human) story of cascading disruptions, extreme events and global connections

Sea ice is thinning at an alarming rate. Snow is shifting to rain. And humans worldwide are increasingly feeling the impact of what happens in the seemingly distant Arctic.

Twila Moon, Deputy Lead Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Dec. 14, 2021 ~9 min

Rural Alaska has a bridge problem as permafrost thaws and crossing river ice gets riskier with climate change

Alaska is warming faster than any other U.S. state, and that’s causing problems, a team of bridge engineers and social scientists explains. The infrastructure bill in Congress would offer some help.

Rebecca Napolitano, Assistant Professor of Architectural Engineering, Penn State • conversation
Oct. 12, 2021 ~8 min

Rural Alaska needs new bridges as permafrost thaws and crossing river ice gets riskier – the infrastructure bill is only a start

Alaska is warming faster than any other U.S. state. That’s causing problems for river crossings, as a team of bridge engineers and social scientists explains.

Rebecca Napolitano, Assistant Professor of Architectural Engineering, Penn State • conversation
Oct. 12, 2021 ~8 min

Native American tribes' pandemic response is hamstrung by many inequities

Many Native American tribes are reporting high COVID-19 infection rates. State and federal agencies are impeding tribes' efforts to handle the pandemic themselves.

Stephanie Malin, Associate Professor of Sociology; Co-Founder and Steering Committee Member, Center for Environmental Justice at CSU, Colorado State University • conversation
June 1, 2020 ~10 min

/

1