Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska held a listening session with Alaska emergency response leaders in Anchorage on May 28 to discuss preparedness and mitigation efforts for climate change, coastal erosion, flooding and sea level rise in the warming Arctic.

The roundtable came in response to the White House’s recently released National strategy for the Arctic Region, to give Alaskans a chance to comment, said Begich, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs subcommittee on emergency management, intergovernmental relations and the District of Columbia.

“Alaska is ground zero for climate change and it is critical that Alaskans play an integral role in this conversation,” Begich said.