THE DEVELOPING HUMAN ETHOS IN A CHANGING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT: A
North American Perspective David R. Klein, Professor Emeritus
Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska, USA Arctic Visiting Speaker program: Supported
by: Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation via the
Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) Slide 2
Alaska is the United States window on the Arctic Alaska was
purchased from Russia in 1867 and became the 49th state in 1959.
Its closest neighbors are Canada and Russia. Slide 3 Some other
facts about Alaska: (Many of which bear similarities to Norway)
Alaska is the largest of the United States (ca. 1.5 M km) Oil is
the major source of income for Alaska Alaska has the largest marine
fisheries of any state It is the only state with land above the
Arctic Circle Alaska has more unaltered natural environment than
other states Tourism is Alaskas fastest growing industry It has
more area in National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, National
Forests, and National Recreation Areas than all the rest of the
United States Alaska has the highest mouintains in North America
The population of Alaska is low, with about 620,000 people Native
peoples of Alaska, the Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts, make up about
17% of the population of the state Slide 4 In recent decades,
Norway has played a pioneering role in the development of a natural
philosophy that focuses on respect for the environment and it
continues to be a major player in the global effort toward
achieving sustainability of the Earths life support systems. Arne
Naess 1996 Gro Harlem Brundtland Al Gore Slide 5 How is the
changing climate influencing the environment of Alaska and the
Arctic, and the people who live there? Slide 6 Climate warming in
the Arctic is thawing permafrost Tuktoyuktuk Peninsula Northwest
Territory Canada Slide 7 Extent of permafrost Slide 8 The photos
taken 2 hours apart show accelerated coastal erosion during a storm
that threatens a village on Alaskas northwest coast. It is caused
by absence of sea ice, and thawing of permafrost. Thawing of
permafrost in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic is causing damage to
buildings and other infrastructure, including threats to entire
communities This appartment building in northern Siberia has been
damaged beyond repair by thawing of the underlying permafrost The
red arrow points to the same object Slide 9 The Trans Alaska Oil
Pipeline was elevated in areas of ice-rich permafrost. Passive
refrigeration units were inserted into the support pilings which
supercooled the surrounding permafrost in winter, thus preventing
thawing of the permafrost in summer. In the oil field, however, the
oil industry has had to re-design and modify oil production
facilities to compensate for warming of the permafrost. Slide 10
The low-lying coastal lands adjacent to the Bering Sea and Arctic
Ocean in Alaska are vulnerable to erosion by wave action and the
rising sea level. Extreme high tides generated by spring storms and
rising sea level can also cause flooding and bird nesting failure.
These wet lands are among the most productive in North America for
nesting waterfowl and shore birds, and are a major source of fish
for the subsistence economy of Yupik and Inupiaq Eskimos Slide 11
Several hundred million birds migrate to the Arctic each summer
Breeding success of these birds in the Arctic determines their
populations in wintering areas at lower latitudes Rising sea-level
is eroding or flooding many coastal nesting areas The tundra
nesting and rearing areas are decreasing as treeline advances
northward Major routes of migration of arctic nesting birds Slide
12 The high mountains adjacent to the southern coast of Alaska
include more ice on land, in ice fields and glaciers, than any
other region of the world at such a relatively low latitude Melting
of this glacier ice has accellerated with climate warming and
accounts for the major portion of the sea level rise of about one
centimeter in the past 30 years Columbia Glacier Prince William
Sound 1970 Slide 13 In interior areas of the Arctic and Sub-Arctic
climate warming has resulted in longer and dryer summers with
increased and more extensive wildfires Slide 14 This map shows the
distribution and frequency of fires on the land areas of the world
during recent years Many of the fires in the Southern Hemisphere
are associated with human land-use practices. In Alaska, Canada,
and Siberia, lightning-caused forest fires have increased in recent
years due to warmer, longer, and drier summers. Slide 15 The
warming climate and increased loss of moisture in summer through
evaporation and transpiration in the transition zone between forest
and tundra in Alaska, Canada, and Russia are resulting in increased
frequency and extent of wild fires Selawik Flats, Alaska fire 1988
Slide 16 Fires in treeless tundra areas usually burn the above
ground parts of grass-like plants and shrubs which can then re-grow
from the roots, but lichens, the primary winter food of reindeer
and caribou, are usually killed and require 50 or more years to
return 1977 1978 Lichens Shrubs Slide 17 Arctic and sub-arctic
plants are physiologically and genetically adapted to brief periods
of climatic extremes Responses of plants to a changing climate,
however, will be gradual and will influence the quality and
quantity of plant tissues as forage for caribou and other
herbivores Slide 18 Climate warming interferes with migration of
caribou to their calving grounds in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, Alaska Slide 19 In North America, wildlife have provided a
major focus for protection of natural areas through recognition
that wildlife require secure habitats for the sustainability of
their populations where food, shelter, and breeding areas are
available Slide 20 Climate warming has enabled red foxes to expand
their distribution into the coastal regions of the Arctic and
Sub-Arctic of Alaska where they are displacing arctic foxes Red fox
Arctic fox Slide 21 Climate-induced changes are occurring more
rapidly at sea than on land, altering ecosystem relationships Slide
22 Murre/gullimot colonies Circle size indicates relative number of
birds in the colony With warming of the seas and loss of ice, sea
birds are expected to move northward in much of the Arctic Sea
birds, however, need cliffs or bluffs for secure nesting, and in
many areas of the Arctic there are no such sites north of existing
ones Slide 23 In the marine environment of the Arctic, the decline
and thinning of sea ice is having a major effect on marine mammals,
resulting in less secure maternal den sites for polar bears and
ringed seals, stranding of polar bears on land, and reduced feeding
opportunities for walrus over the coastal shelf Slide 24 Biological
productivity is highest at the ice edge 1.Primary producers
(plankton) at the ice edge filter down through the water column
2.At the bottom (benthic environment) life is stimulated by the
productivity above 3.Pelagic invertebrates feed on the
micro-organisms 4.Fish and other invertebrates feed in the water
column and at the bottom 5.Marine mammals and birds are at the
upper levels of these food webs Slide 25 At all levels of the food
chain in the marine environment of the Arctic, life is effected by
the sea ice and its seasonal variation Slide 26 Understanding the
consequences of climate change in the marine environment of the
Arctic will require a major international research effort Weighing
a tranquilized polar bear to assess body condition and growth near
Svalbard A beluga whale is released after being netted and a radio
transmitter has been attached Here, scientists from the Norwegian
Polar Center do research on marine mammals Slide 27 Slide 28 Slide
29 During the bowhead whale harvest by Inupiaq hunters off the
north coast of Alaska, scientists from the Institute of Arctic
Biology, University of Alaska collect tissue samples for studies of
health status and genetics Dept. Wildlife Management, North Slope
Burough Slide 30 Humpback whales feeding and diving Coastal areas
of Alaska offer increased potential for tourism Whale watching and
charter boat fishing for salmon and halibut are important to local
economies, but distribution of these mammals and fish are expected
to change as the marine waters warm Slide 31 As sea ice declines,
planning is needed based on habitat use patterns by marine wildlife
for regulating use of new shipping routes for: Limiting ice breaker
activity in breeding habitats of seals and polar bears Tour ship
routing for good experiences with minimal affect on wildlife
Restricting bottom trawling in benthic feeding areas needed by
walrus Establishment of ports and shore facilities that minimize
affect on wildlife The Russian port of Dudinka on the Yenisey R.,
Northern Sea Route A US Coast Guard ice breaker north of Alaska
Slide 32 The Arctic has become the focus for development: Regional
development plans that relate to the marine environment should
include both national and international perspectives because human
activities near the landsea interface may affect marine ecosystems
through pollution, disruption of fisheries, and influences on
marine wildlife A Labrador fishing port Tourist ship in the Bering
Sea Slide 33 Assessing wildlife populations, their movements,
habitat conditions, and patterns of human use are also critical for
assessment of impacts of proposed development projects Assessments
are necessary prior to decisions on design and authorization of the
projects, to avoid or minimize detrimental impacts on wildlife and
their sustainability Testing an exploration well at Prudhoe Bay in
1969 Mineral exploration in northern Greenland at a zinc prospect,
2002 Slide 34 Oil exploration causes major disturbances to
wildlife, but it is the longer term cumulative effects of oil
development that has resulted in the obstruction of movements of
caribou and has displaced caribou and other wildlife from critical
habitat areas, with associated population declines. Slide 35
Protection of the environment has long been accepted by cultures
throughout the world as essential for the sustainability of their
societies. In the Arctic, the changing climate and other pressures
on the environment are mandating the need for increased efforts to
protect the unique biodiversity and sustained productivity of
Arctic ecosystems. An Inupiaq Eskimo festival at the start of the
whaling season, Kaktovik, Alaska Slide 36 Indigenous people of the
Arctic continue to be dependent on the biological productivity of
the lands and waters of the Arctic for their subsistence-based life
styles Efforts toward management and conservation of wildlife in
the Arctic must be adaptable to those changes taking place in the
natural environment, as well as to changes that are taking place
among human societies Greenland country food market A main street
in Kotzebue, Alaska Slide 37 A meeting of the Canadian Porcupine
Caribou Management Board in Yukon Territory, Canada. Quitchin
Athabaskan and Inuit peoples have majority membership on this
co-management board Slide 38 Modes of travel in roadless areas of
the North have cultural roots, but Northern cultures are changing
rapidly and are adopting the technology of Western society that
offers modes of mechanized travel appropriate for the Northern
undeveloped landscapes, but not without problems What is
traditional? Slide 39 A Yupik Eskimo woman on the Bering Sea coast
preparing seal skins that are used to cover boat frames and for
making boots and clothing Slide 40 Arctic peoples have long been
undergoing change in their cultures and life styles brought about
by pressures from the expanding industrialized world to the south.
In recent decades the homeland of arctic peoples has been
experiencing a new kind of change as a consequence of global
climate warming, nessessitating major adaptations if their cultures
and communities are to survive Slide 41 Wildlife in the Arctic
provides the connection between residents of the Arctic and their
cultural past. In the urban environment of todays world our
ecological connections to the environment that supports us has
become obscured. A country food market in Greenland where hunters
sell meat of wild reindeer, seals, and sea birds Meat in an urban
super market tells the shopper little about the animals and people
that produced the meat Slide 42 How are people whose cultures have
developed in northern areas responding to the changes in their
environment that are caused by global climate change? Inupiaq
Eskimoes on the Arctic coast of Alaska cellebrating the beginning
of the annual whale hunt. Their traditional way of hunting whales
is dependent on sea ice when the whales arrive. Slide 43
CONCLUSIONS Today's Arctic is characterized by altered climate and
associated changes in the marine and terrestrial environments, by
increased pressures from outside of the Arctic for resource
extraction and commercial development, and by the rapid cultural
change of peoples dwelling in the Arctic. Lands and waters of the
Arctic, valued as wilderness by those dwelling outside of the
Arctic are, homelands of indigenous people throughout much of the
Arctic. Whether homelands or wilderness these Arctic regions are
undergoing accelerated change. Slide 44 Residents of the Arctic see
the changes taking place in their environment that are being driven
by the changing climate. They do want to be active participants in
efforts, both nationally and internationally, to assist in their
own adaptation to the changing environment. They also want to play
an active role in influencing policy directed at mitigating the
intensity of human contribution to global climate change. Wherever
we may live, we need to understand our role in the world in which
we live. Although human cultural evolution has been largely based
on alteration of the natural environment, we need to be aware of
both the magnitude and consequences of our alteration of the
environment at local and global scales. Slide 45 We cannot,
however, assess the consequences of our actions without
understanding the processes of ecological systems and their
complexity, ecosystems of which we are a part, and within which we
continue to play increasingly dominant roles. It is essential for
the future of human society that education within the schools at
all levels be aimed at enabling all individuals to understand
themselves as biological organisms within complex ecosystems that
are interconnected globally. Slide 46 The majority of the American
public want a favorable forecast for the future and they remain in
denial about the serious nature of global climate change A majority
of the people who live outside of the Arctic do not share the
urgent concern of Arctic residents over the consequences of global
climate warming. Slide 47 Education of our youth is all important
to enable them to adapt to and manage, if possible, the changed
world we will be leaving them My perspective as an elder Slide 48
Education must address the complexity of the biological and
physical components of the world Slide 49 Humility is a
prerequisite to wisdom Slide 50 Acknowlegements: Arctic Climate
Impact Assessment Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska
Fairbanks Photo credits: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment Norwegian
Polar Center, Trmso, Norway Department of Wildlife Management,
North Slope Borough, Barrow, Alaska Porcupine Caribou Management
Board, Whitehorse; Yukon Territory, Canada David R. Klein,
Fairbanks, Alaska Financial support: Arctic Visiting Speaker
Program Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation
Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS)
