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Addressing climate change in Alaska
State Climate Action Leadership Team delivers strategic recommendations, with actions the state plans to take in the near term Alan Bailey Petroleum News
Alaska’s Climate Action Leadership Team, established by Gov. Bill Walker’s administration last October, has delivered a series of recommended policies for responding to climate change and mitigating its impacts in Alaska, Walker announced on Sept. 26. Walker has also announced a series of early climate change actions that state will take. The actions were developed in conjunction with the governor’s Climate Cabinet, a working group tasked with evaluating state agencies’ efforts to address climate change issues.
The Leadership Team includes representation from a wide variety of Alaska interests, including rural communities, the oil industry and academia.
“The Leadership Team’s work is grounded in a vision for a healthy and sustainable Alaska for current and future generations,” said Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, chair of the Leadership Team. “The team’s recommendations are a step along a journey that will continue to evolve. Our goals - the same goals of any good government - are to support resilience communities, healthy ecosystems, and continued economic opportunity in Alaska.”
The team recommendations consist of a series of proposed state policies, with supporting actions, designed to guide the efforts of the state government to address climate change challenges.
Community resilience and sustainability To strengthen community resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change, the state will support local and regional entities in their efforts to plan for and address climate change. In doing this, the state will also support appropriate research and data gathering, strengthen efficient systems for community adaptation and relocation, and commit to long-term leadership in climate change issues.
Other recommended actions in support of communities include state facilitation of a network of municipal, local government and tribal entities to leverage resources and share knowledge. A formal interagency group would act as a liaison between communities and government agencies. And, as part of risk and resilience planning and adaptation, agreements would be developed between communities and agencies.
Health and ecosystem impacts To better understand and address environmental and ecosystem changes, and impacts on human health and wellbeing as a consequence of climate change, the state will integrate western science and indigenous knowledge. The idea is to monitor and collect data to better understand climate change impacts, and to identify areas of high vulnerability and risk. The state would support appropriate research and monitoring programs, and the development of community and regional risk and resilience plans. An assessment would be conducted on the impacts of climate change on food security
Economic opportunity To seek economic opportunities associated with climate change, the state would support energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy and increased electrification. And, to reduce carbon emissions in the state, the state will develop a strategic plan for diversified growth in leveraging the state’s ocean-related economy, and investigate incentives for business developments involving clean energy and energy efficiency
Clean energy in the state. To maximize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, by 2020 the state will publish a comprehensive greenhouse gas reduction strategy. This policy will set targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions in different sectors of the economy, including a 30 percent reduction from the oil and mining industries, a 33 percent reduction from electricity generation and a 55 percent reduction associated with the used of thermal energy in buildings. The state will also seek ways of reducing carbon emissions associated with air, rail, road and marine transportation by, for example, preparing for a rapid transition to the use of electric vehicles and by promoting the use of public transportation in certain more highly populated areas of the state.
Education and awareness To expand awareness of climate and environmental science, the state will increase public familiarity with the issues involved, improve the relevant education curricula, strengthen appropriate research at the University of Alaska and facilitate appropriate training and workforce development.
Investment and funding And, to address investment in the state’s climate change strategies, the state will increase funding for low carbon and energy efficiency activities; seek federal funding opportunities; and evaluate the development of a carbon fee mechanism to place a cost on carbon emissions. The state also wants to explore opportunities for revenue generation through carbon sequestration, using, for example, sustainably managed forests, farms and wetlands to store carbon. The action plan envisages the formation of a “green bank” for the long-term, state-led financing of renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives.
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