Local priorities could be key to global climate issues

December 15, 2016

University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists are presenting their work at the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting in San Francisco this week. Here are some highlights of their research, as shared at the world’s largest Earth and space science meeting.

Efforts to fight climate change can be enhanced by focusing on local rather than global concerns, University of Alaska Fairbanks professor emeritus Terry Chapin argued on Thursday.

Chapin, a retired professor at the Institute of Arctic Biology, offered a presentation at AGU about the need to help people adapt to climate change locally, which collectively can help contribute to larger goals. He said a new approach is needed, since a quarter-century of climate-change awareness has produced little hope of offsetting the global problem.

He used the example of community-driven research as a possible solution. The model, used by UAF assistant professor Todd Brinkman, helps research succeed by focusing on both community goals and larger science objectives. By considering the needs of Alaska Natives in rural villages, UAF researchers found that local goals often overlapped with larger concerns.

“I think the same basic strategy could be used with ranchers in Wyoming, with farmers in Iowa, with suburban or urban residents of a city,” Chapin said.

Chapin illustrated his point with the experience of working in remote Native communities. Village residents consistently expressed concerns about accessing subsistence resources and the high cost of living.

The access problems were often related to climate change, such as wildfires destroying trail networks or disturbances to winter travel. The expense was tied, in part, to the cost of heating fuel.

Learning of the desire to save on heating fuel led to local conservation and education efforts, Chapin said. Residents simply wanted to spend less money and stay in their home villages.

“We wouldn’t have known this unless we first started talking to community members and hunters, rather than going in with our own preconceived notions,” Chapin said.

He said focusing on local concerns also helped communicate those problems to local policy makers, such as tribal leaders.

“I think once we can develop the trust that we’re part of their team, rather than asking them to be part of our team, all kinds of opportunities open up,” Chapin said.