Global Warming News from Alaska: Sept 28, 2006
Reporting from Ground Zero

Dear Friends,

As we face the increased, dire evidence of global warming, it is more important than ever to celebrate progress and to offer concrete individual and policy action recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

This month, scientists announced numerous additional tragic consequences from global warming: new polar bear deaths, diminished winter Arctic sea ice, and record breaking heat. At the same time, there are many positive and encouraging developments highlighted below, which provide hope and encouragement.

You may also notice that this newsletter has a new format, consistent with Alaska Conservation Solution's newly designed web site. I hope that you will visit our enhanced website at www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com and explore several new features such as the Alaska Carbon Calculator and the Alaska Carbon Reducer, described more fully below.

Alaska Global Warming News - The Latest Evidence and Developments

Scientists Report Dead, Emaciated Polar Bears in Alaska and Also Polar Bear Denning Shift

In a speech presented at the 13th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society, Dr. Steven Amstrup announced that at least three polar bears died in a "severely emaciated" state in 2006 (Speech presented in Anchorage on 9/24/06).

• Dr. Amstrup, a world renowned polar bear expert who works for USGS, stated that this is the first time that he has ever seen dead polar bears in an emaciated state. Additional tissue work is being completed.
• The bone marrow fat was gone in the first adult polar bears examined, which represents the final stage of starvation. An analysis is currently being conducted on the recovered bones of the second adult polar bear. The third bear was an emaciated yearling.
• Dr. Amstrup also reported a significant shift in polar bear denning from offshore to onshore. Between 1985 and 1995, only 36.6% of denning occurred on land. Between 1996 and 2005, 63.6% was on land. As the Arctic ice cap has shrunk, especially in the last decade, there is less available and suitable offshore ice for denning.

Arctic Winter Ice Cap Substantially Smaller

According to two NASA studies, the winter extent of the Arctic ice cap has shrunk significantly in the last two years, a definitive sign of global warming.

• In the winters of 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 the ice cap shrank by 6% each year. This compares to a loss of only 1.5% per decade since 1979 (NASA). The loss in perennial ice is equivalent in area to the state of Texas.
• Notes NASA scientist Josefino Comiso, "It is alarming...This winter ice provides the kind of evidence that is indeed associated with the greenhouse effect" (Associated Press 9/14/06).
• Also, a huge mass of water, known as a polynya, has shown up in the arctic ice cap north of Alaska. It is the size of Indiana. Scientists have "never seen anything like that before," according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (Baltimore Sun 9/22/06).

Mayors' Global Warming Conference in Alaska a Success

At the invitation of Anchorage's mayor, Mark Begich, over 30 mayors from throughout Alaska and 15 other states attended a very productive three day meeting in Alaska to tackle global warming at the local level, while surrounded by the stark impacts from global warming in Alaska. The highlights included:

• Jeff Jacobson, the mayor of North Pole, became the second mayor in Alaska to sign the Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. North Pole is located near Fairbanks, and is known throughout the world as "Santa Claus' home."
• Stanley Tocktoo, the mayor of Shishmaref, presented a graphic power point in which he highlighted his community's need to move from their ancestral home of over 4,000 years because of global warming. Subsequently, at the request of the mayors of Missoula, Salt Lake City and Eugene, every mayor in attendance signed a resolution requesting "Congress to fund all necessary components of Shishmaref's interim and relocation needs."
• The event was a transforming event for many, including Mayor Royce Pollard of Vancouver, who is "a skeptic no more" (The Columbian 9/27/06).
• There was extensive media coverage of the conference, demonstrating the positive steps that mayors are taking at the local level, as well as the stark impacts of global warming on Alaska. Susanne Fleek and ICLEI were instrumental to the conference's success.

Alaska Conservation Solutions Unveils New Website Emphasizing Concrete Actions

In September, AkCS launched our new website, which features an "Alaska Carbon Calculator", an "Alaska Carbon Reducer" and a "Be Heard" section -- www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com (see press).

• Reflecting Alaska's most important carbon footprint characteristics, the Alaska Carbon Calculator takes into account the renewable energy mixes of different regions in Alaska and also includes snowmachine and other ORV options.
• The Alaska Carbon Reducer identifies very specific, highly linked strategies for reducing carbon emissions throughout Alaska, including transit and carpooling linkages, where to purchase renewable energy equipment, whom to contact for home energy audits, and where to acquire hybrids.
• The Be Heard section offers sample letters on support for positive federal, state, local, and utility action, including the Safe Climate Act.
• Special thanks to AkCS intern Heather Benz, Nancy Wallace, Dan Purnell and a team of volunteers for assembling the data and the website. To the best of our knowledge, it is the only state specific website of its kind in the nation. Several people have already expressed the hope that organizations in their states will produce similar web sites.

Alaskans Overwhelmingly Support Investments in Renewable Energy and Have Increased Their Concern About Global Warming.

In an Alaska statewide poll conducted by a national polling firm this summer, 91% of Alaskans stated that they would strongly (63%) or somewhat (28%) support developing more sources of renewable energy for use in Alaska, more than any other action polled.

• Also, 48% characterized climate change as an extremely important problem or a very important problem (and in a split sample, 50% characterized global warming as an extremely or very serious problem).
• This is a strong improvement from a comparable poll that was done in 2001 when only 25% of Alaskans identified climate change as an extremely or very serious problem.
• Global warming ranked higher in concern than any other Alaska conservation issue.

Key National News

NASA Study Shows Profound Warming from Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

In the September 26 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. James Hansen and others concluded that the warming experienced in the past 30 years is similar to the rate predicted by global climate models in the 1980's, and shows that human contributed green house gas emissions "have become the dominant climate forcing in recent decades" (PNAS 9/26/06).

• Greater warming in Alaska and other high latitude areas from human caused global warming was predicted and has been experienced.
• The earth has warmed .36 degrees per decade for the past 3 decades and we are achieving and passing through the warmest levels in 12,000 years.
• We are now within 1 degree C of the maximum temperature of the past million years, and with additional excessive emissions and warming we face, as Hansen describes it, truly "dangerous climate change" making this "a different planet".
• At the Third Annual Climate Change Research Conference, Dr. Hansen emphasized that we must deal with global warming quickly -- within "a decade, at most" -- to avert tremendously dire consequences, including the extinction of approximately 60% of species worldwide and "sea level rise of several meters per century with eventual rise of tens of meters, enough to transform global coastlines."

California Sues Automakers for Climate Change.

The Attorney General of California has filed a lawsuit against the nation's 6 largest automakers, seeking damages for the harm that their green house gas emissions have had, are having, and will continue to have on that state. The lawsuit is based on the public nuisance doctrine.

• According to the Attorney General, the companies should be held accountable for past and future actions damaging Californians' health and California's environment. Because of diminished snowpack, heat waves, more floods, and beach closures, the State will need to spend millions to modify California's water supply system, rebuild their beaches, and address impacts on human health and endangered animals.

Arizona Tackles Global Warming

The Governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, issued an Executive Order that creates a statewide goal of reducing Arizona's greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by the year 2020, and to 50% below 2000 levels by 2040.

• To help achieve these reductions, Gov. Napolitano also established a Climate Change Executive Committee.

Global Warming Shorts:

Don't Blame It on the Sun. In the September 14 issue of Nature, a study demonstrated that solar changes in sunspot and faculaw structures have not had a significant effect on climate change during the last century. According to Dr. Wigley, "Our results imply that, over the past century, climate change due to human influences must far outweigh the effects of changes in the Sun's brightness."

Additional Evidence that Human Caused Global Warming Causes More Intense Hurricanes. In the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a study involving 19 scientists examined the relationship between hurricanes and climate using 22 different climate models and 80 computer simulations. They found a strong connection between rising ocean temperatures and hurricane intensity, recognizing that the best explanation for the increase in surface sea water temperatures was due to human influence. Since 1906, sea-surface temperature in the tropical parts of the Atlantic and Pacific have increased between 0.6 and 1.2 degrees F (San Francisco Chronicle 9/12/06).

Key International News

Sir Richard Branson Pledges $3 billion to Combat Global Warming

The Chairman of Virgin Group pledged all of his profits from his airline and rail businesses in the next decade, and more, to fund alternative fuels. He hopes to make travel less environmentally damaging, including investing in biofuels and other alternatives. The cash will be invested in his renewable energy business, Virgin Fuel (ABC News 9/22/06).

• The aviation industry is expected to account for 15% of human caused global warming by 2015, and it currently exempted from the Kyoto protocol (The Guardian 9/22/06).
• Branson made his commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative, and was part of over $5.7 billion in total commitments made (Reuters 9/21/06).
• Also on the aviation front, TerraPass has partnered with Expedia to offer carbon offset credits associated with plane ticket purchases on Expedia.

New Diseases Found in Europe Because of Global Warming

Many new, warmer temperature diseases are now harming Europe, notes an English scientist from the University of East Anglia, who observes: "There are already significant indications of disease burden occurring in Europe as a result of climate change." (ABC Online, Updated 9/4/06)

• The new diseases include: Vibrio vulnificus (now reported in the Baltic Sea, causing at least one death), Ostreopsis ovata (now causing illness on the Italian coast), and Congo Crimea hemorrhagic fever.

Fish Die-Off in Qatar Due to Global Warming

According to the offices of the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves and experts from Qatar University, high water temperatures are killing fish and other marine life. The dead fish being washed up on Qatar's beaches have no evidence of bacteia or oils (The Peninsula 9/8/2006).

• This year, during the entire month of August, local water temperatures were 36 degrees C, when they should be 32 degrees.
• Rising temperatures of the Gulf waters have also affected Bahrain and other neighboring countries.

Foreign Secretary Call on UN to Make Global Warming Greatest Priority

Addressing global warming and averting rising sea levels, increased droughts and associated famines should be the United Nations' greatest priority, according to Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. Global warming presents an ever-growing threat to international security (Independent 9/26/06).

Exxon Severely Criticized by Britain's Leading Scientific Organization.

The Royal Society has described ExxonMobil's climate change message as "inaccurate and misleading" and condemned the company for funding organizations that were spreading information that "misrepresents the science of climate change." This includes the Washington-based International Policy Network (edie.net 9/21/06).

Upcoming Events and Other Announcements

Upcoming Events:

October 1 - 8, Interfaith Discussions and Activities Regarding Global Warming throughout the nation. Check your state's Interfaith Power & Light for activity near you. For Anchorage, St. Patrick's Church, free showing of Inconvenient Truth, 7pm, October 2.

October 13, 7pm, "Global Warming, the Greatest Threat", by Deborah Williams at the Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment Lecture Series at Copper Center, Alaska.

October 18, 7pm, Sitka, Alaska, Meeting of the Sitka Global Warming Group, Harrigan Centennial Hall.

October 20 - 22, Annual Bioneers Conference, Marin Center, San Rafael, CA, also, see Beaming site near you. For Anchorage: October 19 -22, University of Alaska.

October 27, 9:00 am, Anchorage, Alaska, Global Warming Panel at the AFN Conference, Egan Convention Center

One final note. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Shishmaref with Ben Hammett. In addition to participating in the Shishmaref Relocation Coalition Meeting, we talked with community members, the Corps of Engineers, and others about Shishmaref's plight. This community, which has inhabited its current location for over 4,000 years, must be moved, and we must help.

As we witnessed shoreline erosion, and touched an abandoned home that was falling into the sea, we clearly recognized the responsibility that our nation has to this and other Alaska villages victimized by global warming. Concurrently, the equally vunerable nearby village of Kivalina experienced a storm that severely damaged their newly installed beach erosion protection project. The plight of Alaska's coastal communities is urgent, and it is also a warning to cities along our entire nation's coastline. Global warming is tragic and expensive. We must act now.