To forestall more severe climate disasters, Alaskans can reduce methane leaks

Ever since serving on Governor Palin’s Mitigation Advisory Group back in 2007, almost twenty years ago, I’ve been engaged in the pressing challenge of addressing climate change. I knew back then as I watched the Mendenhall Glacier rapidly retreat, that climate change was very real and that the trajectory for devastating impacts only went in one direction. I also understood the steepness of the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and how our capacity to flatten the curve rests with our ability to rapidly reduce emissions. While many countries have made much progress in transitioning to renewable energy and in increasing energy efficiency, the world is still barreling toward the warming threshold of 2.0-degrees Celsius that was set by 194 countries in the Paris Agreement. Sadly, Typhoon Halong is the latest devastating storm related to climate change in Alaska. It strikes at the heart of Alaska.

The present disaster is hard for Alaskans, and has me thinking again of ways we can forestall such tragedies. I’ve written before about how reducing methane emissions in the state is a way Alaskans can make a difference in the face of a global threat. The present disaster returns me to that hope.

As noted by an article in the Alaska Beacon, researchers recently completed a comprehensive climate impact study that looked specifically at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The article summarized the study’s findings: “Coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, sea-level rise, intrusion of saltwater into freshwater systems – are combining with storm surges to dramatically transform the coastal area, damaging communities and the food resources that have sustained Yup’ik people for centuries.” The evacuation of some 1,500 residents of villages including Kipnuk and Kwigillingok confirm this tragic conclusion that climate change is disrupting life in an area that defines the essence and richness of village life in Alaska. It saddens me deeply.

A 2021 marine heatwave triggered the loss of 10 billion snow crabs and the closure of the once-lucrative Bering Sea crab fisheries. Now we know that warming seas are the culprit behind the crash of chum salmon on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. From the Yukon to Kodiak, from the Arctic to Ketchikan, Alaska’s coastal fisheries must now confront the dual threat of heat waves and ocean acidification.

Knowing this on top of learning that village life in the entire Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is facing an existential threat makes me feel like Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Looking out at the devastation of war, Frodo laments being the ring bearer and says, “I wish it need not have happened in my time.” That’s exactly how I feel when staring down the painful reality of climate change in Alaska. In the movie, Gandalf replies, “So do I and so do all who live to see such times. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Even though Alaska alone cannot solve the climate crisis and save Alaska’s Native villages, we can do one key thing in the time that is given to us. Alaska can make a big difference by addressing methane leaks. Methane, also known as natural gas waste, traps 80 times more heat than carbon-dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere. It is also important because industrial emissions from Alaska’s oil and gas operations account for approximately 60 percent of Alaska’s total 2019 greenhouse emissions. Altogether, I take this to mean that even though Alaska’s total emission contribution may be small on the global scale, Alaska can still make a significant difference because we have plenty of methane.

According to research done by a team of scientists from the Environmental Defense Fund and several U.S. universities, halving methane emissions by 2030 could slow the rate of global warming by more that 25 percent and start a path to prevent an additional .5 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100. Furthermore, according to the International Energy Agency, the oil and gas industry could eliminate around 70 percent of its methane emissions with existing and well-known technology. Taken all together this means that taking action on methane is not only hugely significant in addressing the climate crisis but eminently doable.

By statute, the state considers any non-emergency release of oil and gas through venting or flaring in excess of one hour as potential “waste.” Consequently, we already have one key tool in the toolbox. Now would be the time for the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to take its statutory obligation seriously and begin reining in non-emergency flaring and venting of methane. Some people think that flaring methane doesn’t happen on the North Slope, but here’s a satellite image showing large volumes of methane flaring.

Kate Troll is a former member of the Ketchikan and Juneau borough assemblies.