Today brought yet another of the myriad of articles reporting record melting of sea ice in the Arctic: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/09/21/MNMISACP7.DTL

The sea ice has melted to record lows below.  Our colleague Kassie Siegel over at Center for Biological Diversity says that it’s melted more this year than was originally projected for 2050.  This news comes just after scientists said that polar bears will largely be extinct by 2050: http://www.pacificenvironment.org/article.php?id=2571

The Arctic, the air conditioner for the earth, is melting.  So far, what’s the response?  Let’s explore for more oil and gas in the Arctic.  Russia is laying claim to a large portion of the Arctic: http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKL2082113920070920, primarily for oil and gas development.  Or check out this map, which shows proposed and existing oil and gas leases in the Arctic, Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk, along with Russia’s territorial claims.

Looks like we’re zoning the Arctic for oil and gas.  Ironic, isn’t it?  There are winners and losers in climate change, and the large oil companies will try to be winners.  I think a smarter way to go would be to push for an Arctic treaty to help protect the Arctic as we deal with climate change.

Alaska glacier by Britt Constantine, mother and lifelong Alaskan.

I attended a fascinating conference yesterday about the global politics of climate change, put on by the World Affairs Council .  I spoke on a panel about how to engage the developing world.  This led to a healthy discussion about the need to engage the public in China and Russia in climate change events as well as our responsibilities to the communities of the Arctic that are feeling the brunt of climate change impacts.  I talked about the disconnect between climate change and our energy choices.  Why are we rushing ahead with oil and gas development in the Arctic when we know that this very development will fuel climate change impacts that will bear down on the Arctic?

While sitting in the conference, I saw this news flash from the Anchorage Daily News (link:  Chukchi Sea Village empties as storm threatens).  The coastal Native village of Kivalina has been evacuated due to an approaching Arctic storm.  The article notes that Kivalina has lost more than 100 feet of coastline the last three years to waves and storm surges.  This is a community that is feeling the brunt of climate change impacts.  My thoughts are with the community.  I am thankful that most people have been evacuated and hope that the storm does not cause too much damage.  As we make our energy choices moving forward, perhaps we should consider the impacts our choices will have on villages like Kivalina?