Climate Change in Alaska

Global warming is taking its toll on Alaska, and the clock is ticking for us to take action. In the past 50 years, Alaska annual temperatures have increased 3-5 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures have increased 7-10 degrees F. Since 1979, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by an area twice the size of Texas. If global warming intensifies, scientists predict the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer by 2070 or sooner.

Climate change needs to be tackled from multiple fronts: renewable energy, promoting Alaska-grown and Alaska-produced consumption, household efficiency, science, Alaska Climate Impact Assessment Commission, ecotourism education, resident education, and networking.

According to a survey by Leiserowitz and Craciun:

* Over 81% of Alaskans are convinced that global warming is happening
* A majority (55%) believe it is caused primarily by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, as opposed to normal cycles in the earth's environment (37%)
* Two out of three Alaskans (67%) say that global warming will be bad for Alaska
* Majorities of Alaskans believe that global warming is a serious threat to themselves and their family (55%), their local community (59%), other countries (68%), Alaska as a whole (71%), the United States (71%), and plants and animals (76%)
* Many (43%) expect that global warming will have dangerous impacts on Alaskans within the next 10 years
* Most Alaskans support the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants (81%) and the signing of international treaties to reduce emissions (71%)
* Two-thirds (62%) report that they very often or occasionally talk about global warming with their friends and family

Discuss and act on solutions! Alaska has the opportunity to be the leader in alternative energy and energy conservation. By taking the lead, Alaska will help the rest of the country cut greenhouse emissions, stay competitive in world markets, and create high-tech jobs here at home.

Burning coal, gas and oil produces carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that warms the planet as it builds up in the atmosphere. Some of the carbon dioxide released today remains in the atmosphere after even 100 years, trapping more and more heat.

Since the mid-1800s, emissions of carbon dioxide have skyrocketed, causing global temperatures to rise by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last century. Earth has not experienced such a rapid change in temperature in thousands of years.

The U.S. must lead the world by passing global warming legislation at home and working with other nations at the Copenhagen climate summit at the end of 2009 to sign a new climate treaty that keeps further warming below 2 degrees Fahrenheit. With a global solution, we can avoid the worst impacts of global warming.