John D. Sutter is a columnist for CNN Opinion who focuses on climate change and social justice. Follow him on Snapchat , Twitter and Facebook or subscribe to his email newsletter .

Shishmaref, Alaska (CNN) Sick of the cold? Tired of ice? This little Inupiat village -- about 30 miles from the Arctic Circle -- would gladly take a dose of both.

"I miss that cold-cold weather," said Hazel Fernandez, 62. "It's too weird. It's too warm."

Outside, Shishmaref, Alaska, looked like this:

My phone showed the temperature at 24 degrees Fahrenheit (-4.4º Celsius).

But that felt downright steamy to Fernandez and others.

She was wearing sneakers instead of insulated boots or sealskin mittens.

Old timers prefer weather that's 20 or 30 below.

Globally, 2016 is expected to be the hottest on record -- breaking the record set in 2015, which broke the record from the year before that. ( Breitbart News and others are cherry picking data to tell you otherwise .) In all, scientists say humans have warmed the planet about 1 degree Celsius since around the time of the Industrial Revolution. This heat, which we're causing by burning fossil fuels and trapping warmth in the atmosphere, is contributing to a host of dangerous weather around the world. A flood this August in Louisiana, for example, killed 13 people. Scientists say that event was made 40% more likely -- and 10% more intense -- because of climate change

The heat comes with dire consequences.

In August, this 560-person village voted to relocate because this barrier island is melting. The permafrost is thawing out from beneath homes, and huge chunks of the coast are crumbling.

To understand the toll this takes, visit the tiny blue house at the edge of the land.

There, I found Shelton Kokeok, 72, sitting at a kitchen table and staring out the window at the Chukchi Sea. The water looked like snow-cone slush on December 19.

Photos: Residents of Shishmaref, Alaska -- population 560 -- voted this year to relocate because of climate change. The community is inhabited mostly by indigenous Inupiat people. The coast of their barrier island is thawing and falling into the sea, among other issues. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Shelton and Clara Kokeok are among the residents who say they won't leave the town, about 30 miles from the Arctic Circle. Their son, Norman, shown in the photograph, was killed when he fell through sea ice in 2007. They blame climate change for his death. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: The Kokeoks live in a small blue house at the very edge of the barrier island, which is accessible only by plane much of the year. Most of their neighbors' homes were moved back from the coast because of warming. One home fell into the sea. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Seal is a staple of the local diet, and it's often dried and frozen outside for the winter. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Sealskin boots traditionally were used to keep feet warm and dry. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: The Shishmaref Erosion and Relocation Coalition met in December 2016 to discuss plans for the move and other matters. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: It's unclear to those on the relocation committee when -- or if -- the move will happen. The community has no substantial funding for the relocation effort, according to local coordinator Annie Weyiouanna. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Esau Sinnok and his adoptive mother, Bessi Sinnok, reluctantly say they want the village to move. The younger Sinnok says it's the only way to preserve the community's unique indigenous traditions. Climate change will force relocation if locals don't plan it, he said. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Susie Nayokpuk, left, and Hazel Fernandez complained about the heat in late December. "I miss that cold-cold weather," said Fernandez. "It's too weird. It's too warm." Thermometers that week showed temperatures in the 10s and 20s. The Arctic is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the Earth. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Relocating the village would be too expensive, said Percy Nayokpuk, who owns a store in town. Shipping costs would increase if residents moved to the mainland. Still, he said, "I think to deny that there's climate change is wrong. Climate change is happening." Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: There are two stores in town, both stocked primarily by plane. Many local people live off the land by fishing and hunting. Traditional foods include seal, walrus, caribou and plants picked from the tundra. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Freakishly warm weather has thrown off hunting and fishing seasons, though, making locals somewhat more reliant on consumer goods. Some carry prices many times those found in the mainland United States. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: On December 21, the shortest day of the year, the sun rose about 12:45 p.m. and set around 3:20 p.m. Life continues in the dark hours of the day. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Most homes have no running water or sewage. Locals harvest ice from a nearby lake and melt it for drinking water. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: The local church is one of the main landmarks in town. There are only a couple of trucks on the island. Most people travel on foot or snowmobile. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Some parents say they don't talk about the pending relocation with their children, fearing it will be too upsetting. Other young people want the village to move, fearing it will become too dangerous as warming continues. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Shishmaref has been located on its barrier island for perhaps 400 years. Locals previously were nomadic, following game across this part of Alaska. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: It's unclear what will happen to the local cemetery if and when the town is moved. Norman Kokeok -- who fell through the ice and died in 2007 -- is among those buried there, according to family members. Hide Caption 18 of 18

"It's not frozen, it's not frozen," he said, sounding distraught. "You better not take a walk out there. That ice should be solid -- thick and solid now. It used to be really cold."

The slush is a personal affront to Kokeok. Freakishly warm temperatures have melted the ocean and the coastline, causing one of his neighbor's homes to topple off the edge. Most of his other neighbors moved their homes across the island and farther from danger. The sea ice helps protect the island from storms, so Kokeok doesn't feel safe until it's solid.

It's been freezing far later and thawing far earlier.

On the coffee table in his living room, Kokeok keeps a photo of his son, Norman. On June 2, 2007 , he fell through thin ice on a hunting trip and died.

Kokeok blames warming for taking his son's life.

In September 2006, a house fell off the coast in Shishmaref, Alaska. The island village is thawing.

Elders in the village told me the ice where he was hunting should have been solid then.

Kokeok would rather stay at his perch at the edge of the Earth, but residents voted -- 89 to 78 -- to get out. It's unclear when that will happen or how much it will cost, said Annie Weyiouanna, who is coordinating the move for the local tribe.

In December, no one was packing.

There's been no funding dedicated to relocation, Weyiouanna said.

It's difficult to overstate the significance of that vote. Shishmaref has been here for 400 years, and before that the community was nomadic, seeking out the best spots along this coast to hunt seal, walrus and caribou and to gather orange and red tundra berries. Locals still live off the land. You'll find seal oil -- made from blubber -- in most homes. There's no running water or sewage, so locals harvest giant chunks of ice and melt it for drinking water.

It's a hard life, but one rich in culture and meaning.

We're putting that in jeopardy by using fossil fuels.

JUST WATCHED Watch Arctic sea ice disappear Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Watch Arctic sea ice disappear 01:00

We're also putting ourselves at risk. No matter where we live, the consequences of a human-warmed climate are here -- and will get far, far worse if we don't switch to cleaner forms of energy. Shishmaref may seem far and away, but harsher-droughts, worse floods, failed crops, mass extinction and climate refugees will be all of our problem.

Visiting the Arctic is simply a window into the future of climate change if we fail to act.

I met Fernandez, the woman who misses the "cold-cold" weather, in a community hall in Shishmaref on a recent morning in December. Her friend Susie Nayokpuk was wearing a pink T-shirt and selling pull-tab lottery tickets. She'd rather be ice fishing, she said, but the sea wasn't frozen.

"It's the world changing, I guess," she said.

Yes, and we are the ones changing it.