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Global Warming: Alaska on the Front Lines

Surface Air Temperature Trends 1942-2003. Global Warming: Alaska on the Front Lines. Chapman and Walsh, 2004. Frances Raskin Trustees for Alaska. Human Rights Petition.

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Global Warming: Alaska on the Front Lines

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  1. Surface Air Temperature Trends 1942-2003 Global Warming: Alaska on the Front Lines Chapman and Walsh, 2004 Frances Raskin Trustees for Alaska

  2. Human Rights Petition • Time is running out for the Arctic. We need far-reaching, long-term  global commitments to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases if the  Arctic is to be protected and if our human rights, particularly our  human rights to subsistence, are to be respected." — Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Chair - Inuit Circumpolar Conference

  3. Massachusetts v. EPA • EPA refuses to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles • Federal Appeals Court fails to address whether CAA requires EPA to regulate • 12 States, D.C., Baltimore, NYC, Samoa, and environmental groups ask Supreme Court to review decision of D.C Circuit • Trustees for Alaska weighs in on behalf of Alaska Native organizations: AITC, CATG, REDOIL

  4. Clients • Alaska Inter-Tribal Council: statewide, tribally governed, non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of about 200 Alaska tribal governments. • Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments: consortium of ten Tribes in Alaska’s northeastern Interior, including nine Gwich’in and one Koyukon Athabascan Tribes. • Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL): a project of the Indigenous Environmental Network.

  5. Four Other Global Warming Cases in Federal Court • D.C. Circuit: States, cities and environmental groups sue EPA for failing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources. Trustees for Alaska plans to file brief on behalf of Alaska Natives. • Second Circuit (New York): Eight states, NYC, and environmental groups sue six major utilities for contributing to global warming. Trustees for Alaska files brief on behalf of Alaska Natives.

  6. Ninth Circuit (San Francisco): Two separate cases challenge corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Center for Biological Diversity, several states challenge process, failure to consider greenhouse gas emissions. • Second Circuit (New York): Natural Resources Defense Council files similar case. • All three cases likely to be consolidated in Ninth Circuit. • Trustees for Alaska plans to file brief on behalf of Alaska Natives.

  7. Snow and Ice • Since 1979, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by an area twice the size of Texas. • Permanent ice is thinning and the duration of ice-free conditions is extending. • The Arctic is predicted to be ice free in the summer by 2100.

  8. Changes Too Rapid for Wildlife To Adapt • MMS scientists witness polar bear drownings • Walrus forced to abandon pups • Caribou forage decreasing • New pests and disease

  9. Extinctions Imminent

  10. Ancient People and Culture Threatened “Traditional activities, such as hunting, fishing and gathering of plants, are crucial to Alaskan Native peoples' way of life. Even subtle changes in temperature over the long term can affect our ability to live . . . We need a healthy environment to fully preserve our traditional values, culture and spirituality." - Art Ivanoff, Unalakleet

  11. Native Knowledge Critical to Understanding of Historical Changes

  12. “Global warming is a threat to the very existence of Alaska Native people’s livelihood, the effects are profound, and we see that in every aspect of our traditional way of life, culture, subsistence, health and spirituality.” — Faith Gemmill, REDOIL

  13. Erosion and Flooding Shishmaref Golovin • September 2005: Storm surges reach 9 feet, waves 15 feet. 34 communities affected. • GAO estimates that 20 villages must be relocated. • It will cost between $100 – $400 million to move Kivalina, a village of about 395 people. Nome

  14. Villages Losing Ground Shishmaref lost as much as 50 feet of coastal land in a single storm. In the past 30 years, 100 to 300 feet of coast has washed away, half of it since 1997.

  15. Sea Level Rise Will Inundate Communities South Fairbanks smoke, June 2004 June July

  16. Areas Susceptible to Sea Level Rise

  17. Scientific Collaboration • Document Native Knowledge • Support Native Observations • Valuable for Legal Argument • May Produce Solutions

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