Alaska’s Changing Arctic: Energy Issues and Trends

The University of Alaska recently released the first in a series of informational reports designed to aid state leaders as Alaska confronts a rapidly changing Arctic and the increasingly globalized North.

The report was led by UAF’s Center for Arctic Policy Studies at the International Arctic Research Center, with help from the Alaska Center for Energy and Power and UAA’s Institute of Social and Economic Research.

A video series created by ACEP’s chief storyteller Amanda Byrd will cover each topic in the report.

The report covers four energy topics:

• The history of Alaska’s reliance on oil and the boom-bust impact on the state’s economy. (Watch a short video of this topic here).
• How Alaska currently produces energy and has become an expert in cold-climate renewables and microgrids.
• Energy infrastructure planning under rapidly changing environmental conditions.
• Current competition and cooperation in the international Arctic energy regime. 

Read or download the report at https://uaf-iarc.org/alaska-arctic-policy-trends.

 

The “Alaska’s Changing Arctic: Energy Issues and Trends” report cover features Annalise Klein walking past solar panels at the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks. Photo in report cover by Jeff Fisher.