Shishmaref, UNITED STATES: A home destroyed by beach erosion lies on its side 27 September 2006 in the the Alaskan village of Shishmaref. The village, home of Inupiat Eskimos, is located some 600 miles (965kms) northwest of Anchorage but just 110 miles (177kms) from the east coast of Russia. Shishmaref, on an island reachable only by air and inhabited for 4,000 years, is facing evacuation because of global warming. Temperatures that have risen 15F (4.4C) over the last 30 years are causing a reduction in sea ice, thawing of permafrost along the coast, making the shoreline vulnerable to erosion. The census of 2000 reported there were 562 people, 142 households, and 110 families residing in the village all facing evacuation and the loss of their traditional life. AFP PHOTO/GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
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