Edges of American Civilization Breaking Down

Seems like a heavy headline, but it's true.

What else can you call it when folks in a rural Alaskan village can no longer afford basic foodstuffs or the fuel to go where they can afford basic foodstuffs OR revert to living off of the land because climate change and pollution?

Don't all of those things fall under the domain of government to provide?

Seriously, things are messed up for Emmonak, Alaska, a rural town on the west coast of Alaska. In a piece of surprisingly good journalism (capped above, read the original February 9, 2009 article), CNN's Mallory Simon does a thorough job explaining the harrowing situation these people are in.

One family usually takes two snowmobiles when they go for supplies. Now they can only afford to take one--that cuts the amount of food they can take back with them and if one snowmobile breaks down, they're stuck. But assuming their machines run properly, they're still more challenges for them to deal with.

$15 cheese, $10 milk, $22 eggs, make basic survival for these people an even bigger challenge than they are used to living on the edge of civilization. Emmonak, Alaska is a village where Native Americans have lived for hundreds of years, yet the civilization that has made their lives easier has melted away like an Antarctic ice shelf.

If you're like me, you probably are wondering why these people can't just go back to their traditional ways of living. Well, the article covers this, explaining that "a brutal early winter brought the longest cold snap in five years. In September the temperature in many villages dropped as low as 20 degrees, a record low for many, according to the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy."

Thanks, Climate Change!

But that's not all--the article also reports that "Commercial fishermen couldn't make money from the seasonal king salmon harvest this year, because there was barely enough fish for subsistence."

See, back in May of 2008, SFGate.com

Yep, it's a 100% legitimate reason for Palin to be back in the news.

The problem seems to be that they can't declare an emergency to get federal aid because of a stupid state law that says financial emergencies can't be declared until, according to Mallory Simon's CNN.com article, "average income levels in the villages to drop below $26,500 -- regardless of the cost of living."

So, until Palin can change the state law (no fast feat), they're kind of stuck.

In the meantime, I'm happy to be living in one of the biggest cities on Earth. Basic laws of supply and demand will keep the city of New York in food and fuel for as long as those basic laws of supply and demand hold up. In other words, with millions of people living here, there will be millions of dollars to be made here--of course, if capitalism itself breaks down, well, then we're all in trouble. Just my ¥2, of course. Though the folks up in Emmonak are going to need more than ¥2 if they are going to make it.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

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Orignal From: Edges of American Civilization Breaking Down