Alaska

Global climate change poses risks to human health and to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Important economic resources such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and water resources also may be affected. Warmer temperatures, more severe droughts and floods, and sea level rise could have a wide range of impacts. All these stresses can add to existing stresses on resources caused by other influences such as population growth, land-use changes, and pollution.

Climate Change in Alaska

Below are some of the potential impacts:

• Over the last century, the average temperature in Anchorage, Alaska, has increased 3.9°F, and over the last 41 years of available data, precipitation has increased by approximately 10% in many parts of the state.
• By 2100 temperatures in Alaska could increase by 5°F in spring, summer, and fall (with a range of 2-9°F), and by 10°F in winter (with a range of 4-16°F). Precipitation is estimated to increase slightly in fall and winter (with a range of 0-10%) and by 10% in spring and summer (with a range of 5-15%).
• Warmer temperatures could mean earlier, more rapid snowmelts and earlier ice breakups. This could increase water availability in the winter, when supplies are traditionally limited. However, river and reservoir systems that rely on glacier or snowmelt for summer flow could find supplies insufficient during critical periods of high demand and little rainfall.
• Warming is projected to be greater at high latitudes than elsewhere in the world, and with sufficient warming, tundra ecosystems are projected to significantly decline. Glacier retreat, melting permafrost, and reductions in pack ice are all projected to continue. These changes have serious implications for many arctic species.
• Thawing of permafrost could reduce caribou habitat, cause landslides and erosion, clog salmon spawning rivers with silt, and trigger the loss of areas of boreal forest.
• A predicted increase in forest fires and an eventual transition to younger stands are of particular concern for wildlife species that make extensive use of mature and old-growth forests, such as marten, fisher, and caribou.
• The low-lying marshes of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are threatened by salinization due to sea level rise and periodic storm surges. sea level rise update
• Warming of lakes and rivers could decrease populations of coho, sockeye, and chinook salmon in the southern parts of their ranges.
• Species associated with the pack ice, including arctic cod, polar bear, ring seal, walrus, narwhal, and beluga whale, are estimated to experience population declines or changes in distribution.

The above are based on from the Environmental Protection Agency's report on climate change, which uses data from the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001).

For more info on climate change impacts in Alaska in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

Alaska is the highest emitter of C02 of all 50 states and the most populous.

See all rankings

Maps

See CO2 output by sector, coastal population maps, and maps of regional initiatives.

Regional Initiatives

In the absence of federal action, many U.S. states are banding together to explore and employ greenhouse gas-reducing policies.

Alaska participates in the following:

Western Governors' Association (WGA): Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative

Learn about climate initiatives in all U.S. states and regions

Your Impact

Estimate your CO2 footprint by using a carbon calculator such as the one on the Inconvenient Truth web site.

How green is your energy? The EPA has a power profiler that can tell you.