Climate Concerns & Online Safety

Local First News (News of the North)

Temperatures in Interior Alaska and northwest Canada are pleasant this July, but climate change is having severe effects. Over 60% of Alaskan Gwich’in forest lands have burned in the past decade, contributing to permafrost melt and economic and health issues.

A cyanide spill at a gold mine in the Yukon Territory has worried Alaska salmon advocates. The spill occurred upstream of the Yukon River, affecting fish habitats and prompting calls for stricter mining oversight.

A significant landslide has occurred on the Salmon Creek Trail, making it impassable. The area near the transition from road to trail is affected, but the penstock remains intact and the road is still open.

The federal government is allocating $575 million to 19 projects to help coastal communities combat climate-related flooding and disasters. This includes nature-based solutions like living shorelines and climate risk assessments for Native communities in Alaska.

The Senate has moved forward with laws to protect kids online from targeted ads, data collection, bullying, and exploitation. The Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act aim to make social media safer for young users, despite some concerns about potential free speech limitations.