Climate Change and Energy

Climate Change and Energy

Climate change affects every region of Alaska, impacting plant and animal species, landscape features, and whole ecosystems, with direct and indirect impacts on Alaskans – especially those who have been historically excluded from and marginalized by systems of power. It affects recreational opportunities, subsistence practices, public health, economic security, and safety. It poses significant threats to many of the places that make Alaska special and which the Northern Center is devoted to protecting.  To ensure the protection of wild places and Arctic ecosystems, and to ensure an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable future, the Northern Center engages our membership and allies to address climate change. Recognizing the global nature of the problem, the Northern Center focuses its efforts where it can have the greatest impact. We educate the public about Alaska-specific threats and sustainable lifestyle choices, advocate for programs and policies that ensure a livable planet, and protect Alaskans from inevitable changes. We advocate for a Just Transition: a framework for a fair shift to an economy that is ecologically sustainable, equitable and just for all Alaskans. High priority objectives for the Climate Change and Energy Program are to:

  1. Educate Interior Alaskans on climate-related impacts and the need to change current laws, policies, and individual practices.
  2. Educate Interior Alaskans on ways to minimize their own impacts on the planet, providing Arctic-specific resources and helping the public access opportunities already available through other organizations and programs.
  3. Engage our membership to encourage advocacy and individual actions.
  4. Lead by example in decisions about staff travel, office policies, building efficiency. Explore and communicate ways to reduce carbon emissions through local food production and the use of renewable energy.

Read or download our Climate Change Position Statement.

Skills

Posted on

August 29, 2017