What others say: Alaska, Arctic neighbors can learn from each other

  • Monday, October 5, 2015 4:24pm
  • Opinion

Representatives of eight nations gathered in Fairbanks to discuss issues of energy in the Arctic last week. It’s easy for government summits to turn into diplomatic functions short on actual progress, but when it comes to Arctic energy issues, other nations at similar latitudes have similar experience and expertise that can inform the state on how to proceed with its own problems and opportunities. As with most of the state’s issues, it’s good to know Alaska isn’t alone in its challenges.

Meeting with the Alaska delegation were representatives from Iceland, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. In discussions over the course of the conference, they detailed the issues particular to their countries. Limited infrastructure. Land tied up by government control. Cold temperatures. High transportation costs. But for the origin of their passport, they might well have been presenting about Alaska.

Just as the circumpolar countries share similar issues as Alaska experiences, they are also working along similar lines to find solutions. Alaska was no slouch in sharing its expertise in Arctic energy research — the conference was well attended by researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska presenters such as Dillingham assistant professor Tom Marsik contributed to the discussion of energy efficiency. Mr. Marsik, who performs research and teaches with UAF’s College of Rural and Community Development, bears the distinction of having built the world’s most airtight home. That home, Mr. Marsik says, costs about $100 per year to heat. While not every Alaskan or resident of the circumpolar north can have a house with 28-inch walls, Marsik’s residence is a dramatic example of what’s possible in terms of conserving as much energy as possible.

It was fitting, too, that the conference took place in the midst of a winter storm that knocked out power to a broad swath of the Interior, including the Carlson Center, where part of the summit was being held. Fortunately, the Carlson Center had backup generators and the events proceeded more or less without interruption. It was a strong lesson on the fragility of northern infrastructure in the face of natural forces and the need to harden those services and have resilient backup systems.

Alaska and its Arctic neighbors have much they can learn from one another in matters of energy, from efficiency and conservation to resource development and infrastructure. In dealing with these issues, it’s helpful to be reminded that those with the best experience to help the state chart its way forward aren’t always in the Lower 48 — sometimes, they’re our neighbors at similar latitudes.

— Fairbanks Daily News-Miner,

Oct 2.

More in Opinion

No to 67%

Recently, the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission voted to raise the pay… Continue reading

This image available under the Creative Commons license shows the outline of the state of Alaska filled with the pattern of the state flag.
Opinion: Old models of development are not sustainable for Alaska

Sustainability means investing in keeping Alaska as healthy as possible.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy unveils proposals to offer public school teachers annual retention bonuses and enact policies restricting discussion of sex and gender in education during a news conference in Anchorage. (Screenshot)
Opinion: As a father and a grandfather, I believe the governor’s proposed laws are anti-family

Now, the discrimination sword is pointing to our gay and transgender friends and families.

Kenai Peninsula Education Association President Nathan Erfurth works in his office on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Voices of the Peninsula: Now is the time to invest in Kenai Peninsula students

Parents, educators and community members addressed the potential budget cuts with a clear message.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: An accurate portrayal of parental rights isn’t controversial

Affirming and defining parental rights is a matter of respect for the relationship between parent and child

t
Opinion: When the state values bigotry over the lives of queer kids

It has been a long, difficult week for queer and trans Alaskans like me.

Unsplash / Louis Velazquez
Opinion: Fish, family and freedom… from Big Oil

“Ultimate investment in the status quo” is not what I voted for.

Dr. Sarah Spencer. (Photo by Maureen Todd and courtesy of Dr. Sarah Spencer)
Voices of the Peninsula: Let’s bring opioid addiction treatment to the Alaskans who need it most

This incredibly effective and safe medication has the potential to dramatically increase access to treatment

An orphaned moose calf reared by the author is seen in 1970. (Stephen F. Stringham/courtesy photo)
Voices of the Peninsula: Maximizing moose productivity on the Kenai Peninsula

Maximum isn’t necessarily optimum, as cattle ranchers learned long ago.

(Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The time has come to stop Eastman’s willful and wanton damage

God in the Bible makes it clear that we are to care for the vulnerable among us.

Caribou graze on the greening tundra of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska in June, 2001. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: AIDEA’s $20 million-and-growing investment looks like a bad bet

Not producing in ANWR could probably generate a lot of money for Alaska.

A fisher holds a reel on the Kenai River near Soldotna on June 30, 2021. (Photo by Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Voices of the Peninsula: King salmon closures long overdue

Returns have progressively gone downhill since the early run was closed in June 2012