Melting Alaska

Recently, British newspaper The Guardian reported on the “the world’s first climate change refugees”: the Yup’ik Eskimos of Alaska, USA. Melting ice in southwest Alaska has forced an entire community to permanently relocate, after 2,000 years of living in the area.

With all the hype about Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, I was reminded of this article. I wondered, is Palin – the global warming denier that she is – aware of this tragic development in her home state?

Then, remembering a Youtube video posted by a friend, another question crossed my mind. Has Palin ever heard of The Guardian newspaper? I wasn’t sure if The Guardian was included in “all of them, any of them that um, have been in front of me over all these years,” which is what Palin replied when asked for specific examples of newspapers and magazines she sought information from.

After yet another good chuckle about Palin's ever-amusing incompetence, the seriousness of her stance on global warming sunk in. In the clever words of the article, "Alaska's new lipstick-wearing pitbull megastar, Sarah Palin, is intellectually challenged when it comes to global warming." Mixing up words and blanking out on newspaper titles is one thing; suggesting that humans have had no role in climate change is quite another.