The Alaska chapter of Youth for Environmental Action, a high school program of the National Wildlife Federation, has traveled to Washington, D.C., to deliver a message about global warming to Congress. The group has a multimedia presentation that explains how increased emissions of the byproducts of burning fossil fuels, carbon dioxide and methane gas, have created a reflective greenhouse effect that has caused a rise in temperatures globally. The teenagers have collected over 5,000 signatures from other Alaska teenagers, endorsing a call to action on the controversial issue of global warming. The immediate effects of global warming can be seen most dramatically in Alaska where the average temperature has risen 3 degrees in the winter and 6 degrees in the summer during the past 30 years. Among the students who have been traveling and have visited Congress are Verner Wilson of Dillingham, Tim Turner of Anchorage, Charlee Lockwood of Saint Michael, and the group advisor, Polly Carr. The students traveled throughout Alaska to basketball games, field trips, ski meets, wrestling contests, school breaks, and debate events in 103 Alaska communities. The signatures represent about 10 percent of the teenage population of Alaska. The students' program asks Washington congressmen to back a cap-and-trade greenhouse gas program that limits growth of carbon dioxide and methane gas, two of the most harmful of the greenhouse gases, in industry. The teens' program also calls for increased fuel economy standards for automobiles and trucks, and calls for strong incentives for development and support of renewable energy sources. Some of the warming effects that have been seen in Alaska include the melting of upper permafrost layers that have caused buildings to sink and tilt and the erosion of the coastline at the village of Shishmaref. The warmer ocean temperatures have resulted in the reduction of the amount of ice near the shore that normally protects the shoreline from harsh winter storms. As a result of the vanishing shoreline, much of the village has been relocated further inland at great expense. Another result of warming can be seen in the Kenai Peninsula where the largest insect infestation in North America has decimated the growth of white spruce trees. The population of spruce bark beetles has increased tremendously due to the longer length of the warm season in the area. Glaciers in Alaska are retreating at a rapid rate due to the warmer temperatures. A popular glacier and tourist attraction at Portage could be seen from the road and visitor center 20 years ago, but now it is no longer visible except from a tour boat. The Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound is retreating 80 to 115 feet per day and has receded more than 6 miles in the past 35 years. In Barrow, the most northerly village in Alaska, the warmer temperatures mean that there are now mosquitoes where once there were none. Part of Alaskas congressional delegation does not agree with the teenagers about the cause of the Alaska warming trend. Representative Don Young has blamed natural occurrences, not human intervention, as the cause of the changes. Senator Ted Stevens feels that the warming trend is due to cyclical geophysical natural forces. The Alaska students present their petition, a well worded letter, and their multimedia presentation to anyone who will openly listen in hopes of gaining valuable support and creating some positive change. |
