My husband and I were both born and raised in Juneau. Although we’ve moved from state to state for school and work we have always dreamed of returning, of raising our children in Alaska, but I’m concerned that the place I remember will be gone by the time we finally make it back home.
Last summer on a trip home, we took our 1-year-old son, Isaac, to see the Mendenhall Glacier. Comparing the photo taken this summer a family photo from 1987 in the same spot reveals a sobering truth — the glacier is disappearing at a startling rate. Alaska is bearing the brunt of climate change, but our state isn’t responsible for the vast majority of carbon emissions. The things that make Alaska Alaskan are disappearing: glaciers retreating, fisheries waning and the land from under entire villages eroding away. This is why Alaska’s leaders should secure money from the federal government to guard against the economic impacts that climate change will have on our state instead of denying sound science and ignoring the coming crisis.
Alaskans understand that climate change is much more than hypothetical, it is a real, it is happening now. This is more than personal for me, it is also my job. I study the effects of climate change on the ocean. Unfortunately, the news for marine life is not good. The ocean soaks up carbon emissions like a sponge, acidifying the water. The acidified water harms tiny animals such as swimming snails (called pteropods) that salmon depend on for food. It also favors the growth of harmful algae that can create dense swarms, smothering and poisoning marine life. Washington state and Japan have lost millions of dollars worth of fish, shellfish and tourism to harmful algal blooms. We need better information on how severe these impacts might be for Alaska’s fisheries.
The ocean ecosystems are in a delicate balance. If we push that balance too far out of whack, fishermen and Native Alaskan communities will be the losers. No offense to polar bears, but I’ve always thought that what happens to human beings is the most pressing issue of climate change.
I don’t say this to scare people or make them angry, I say it to start an honest discussion about what’s coming and how Alaska can best prepare for it. The village of Shishmaref saw the end of their way of life coming for more than a decade. They made the decision to move off the island, yet they couldn’t get support from the federal government to make this plan a reality. While I applaud the efforts of our senators and representative to secure money for Shishmaref, they failed to acknowledge decades of sound science that confirm that this problem is man-made.
Alaska’s leaders suffer from a credibility problem. They’re asking the federal government for a lot of money to solve a relatively small problem that is only the tip of the iceberg. Alaska’s leaders should support funding for scientific research so they can make decisions on the most cost effective strategies for addressing climate change damages to the state rather than treating each as a separate crisis. They should oppose House bill H.R. 673 that would prevent scientists from sharing the best available research and participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This bill is part and parcel of the Trump administration’s agenda of climate change denial — along with threats to shut down agencies like the EPA, National Parks Service, and to muzzle scientists who study climate change. These attacks seek to prevent scientists from sharing their work and discourage governments from making decisions based on facts. Alaska’s leaders should support sound scientific research so that we can form a systematic plan to relocate and protect Alaskans who will be most harmed by climate change.
The village of Shishmaref did not create this problem, but so far they are forced to deal with the consequences without real help from their elected representatives. Dozens of other villages are in the same situation, but there is no plan to deal with the root causes or the coming impacts of climate change. Alaska needs leaders who think ahead for our children not provide more empty promises to “drill baby drill.” How many more Shishmarefs will there be before Alaska’s leaders stand up for Alaska’s best interest?
The Mendenhall Glacier will always have a special place in my heart. My husband and I were married at the glacier visitor’s center. I hope someday my son will be able to bring his child and maybe even his grandchildren to see the Mendenhall Glacier. I hope there will still be a glacier to look at. More importantly, I hope Alaska will plan ahead and adapt to the challenges that climate change brings to fisheries, tourism and native communities. As a mom, a scientist and an Alaskan I urge you to take a clear-eyed look at the risks that climate change poses to our state and to oppose bill HR 673. I urge Alaska’s leaders to use the best available science to inform their decision making and to advocate for Alaskans, not just tow the party line on climate change. Alaska deserves a plan, Alaskans deserve better.
Gwenn M. Miller Hennon, PhD, is a biological oceanographer who currently resides in Piermont, New York. She enjoys kayaking, playing with her toddler and exploring the natural world.
