Kivalina village in Alaska still awaits relocation after 2008 suit against ExxonMobil
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
Kivalina, an Inupiat village on a thin barrier island in Alaska, has lost much of its land to erosion while relocation stalled. Its 2008 damages suit against ExxonMobil and other large emitters was dismissed. Nature's stake: the island's shrinking coastline.
- ExxonMobil shareholders — ExxonMobil reported record profits in the years when warnings were issued, and paid 36.0 billion dollars to shareholders in 2024 (KR5-82).
- Kivalina residents — The settlement area shrank from 54 acres in 1953 to below 27 acres, and the village remains on the island. NOAA Climate Toolkit
What happened
The NOAA Climate Toolkit reports that Kivalina had 440 people in 2018, and that its settlement area fell from 54 acres in 1953 to below 27 acres.
The village decided to relocate in 1992. In 2006 the US Army Corps of Engineers estimated that erosion and flooding would overtake the settlement within 10 to 15 years, and that relocation would cost 95 to 125 million dollars (NOAA Climate Toolkit; Audubon, 2015).
In 2008 the village sued ExxonMobil and 23 other large emitters for up to 400 million dollars. The suit was dismissed, and the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in May 2013 (KR5-94).
A roughly 13 km evacuation road opened in November 2020, and a new school on higher ground opened in November 2022. Later estimates of relocation cost are reported at 250 to 400 million dollars, and a 115 million dollar federal fund for 11 Indigenous communities did not include Kivalina (The Conversation; Down To Earth, 27 April 2023).
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2008–DismissedKivalina v. ExxonMobilNot stated in the sources reviewed. · Civil · Village of Kivalina → ExxonMobil and other large emitters
Suit for relocation costs of up to 400 million dollars against 24 large emitters. Dismissed; the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in May 2013.
Insurers
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- Disputed Conflicting estimates: relocation is put at 95 to 125 million dollars (2006 Army Corps estimate) and at 250 to 400 million dollars (later estimate).
- None on record Not in sources reviewed: the relocation site and funding status for 2024 to 2026. The most recent source read is dated 2023.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Relocating the village of Kivalina, Alaska due to coastal erosionNOAA Climate Toolkit ·
- Arctic sea ice loss and fierce storms leave Kivalina's volunteer search and rescue fighting to protect their island from climate disastersDown To Earth (The Conversation) · 2023-04-27
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