Alaska

Opinion: The climate cost of Alaska oil in the trillions of dollars

Published

1 month ago

February 8, 2026

Opinion: The climate cost of Alaska oil in the trillions of dollars

Milepost zero of the trans-Alaska pipeline system. (Marc Lester / ADN)

The Anchorage Daily News recently reported, “Though the global oil and gas industry is a major contributor to climate change, Alaska’s oil patch is not the direct driver of Alaska’s climate change impacts.” For the record, while Alaska oil may not be “the” driver of Alaska’s climate change impacts, it is a contributor.

Alaska has produced a cumulative total of about 20.4 billion barrels of oil — 19 billion barrels from the North Slope and 1.4 billion barrels from Kenai-Cook Inlet. At 564 kg CO2e emissions — the carbon dioxide equivalent of all greenhouse gases, including methane, nitrous oxide, etc. — per barrel of oil from all upstream (exploration and production), midstream (transportation and storage) and downstream (refining and use) sources, Alaska oil is responsible for releasing over 11.5 billion tons of CO2e to the global atmosphere, some of which will remain for centuries.

Additionally, Alaska’s production to date of some 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, primarily methane, has added another 500 million tons of CO2e to the global atmosphere.

Significantly, the combustion of crude oil produces about three times its weight in CO2, as two atoms of heavier oxygen combine with one atom of lighter carbon. So in fact, Alaska has produced far more CO2 than it has oil: 12 billion tons of CO2 versus 2.75 billion tons of oil — 20 billion barrels of oil divided by 7.3 barrels per ton.

With cumulative global greenhouse gas emissions from human activities now at about 2.5 trillion tons, Alaska’s share of the global total is roughly 0.5%. So, Alaska oil and gas is responsible for approximately 0.5% of all historic climate change impacts globally, including in Bangladesh, Maldives, South Pacific islands, Africa, India, Australia, Antarctica, Greenland, Europe, South America, the Arctic, Asia, the Middle East, Russia and of course, here in Alaska.

Alaska then owns 0.5% of the cumulative global atmospheric carbon increase (from 280 parts per million pre-industrial to 427 parts per million today, a 50% increase), global sea level rise (8-9 inches), polar ice sheet loss (now over 400 billion tons per year), annual loss of 1.2 trillion tons of ice globally, loss of 50% of Arctic summer sea ice, a 30% increase in global ocean acidity, a sustained and dangerous increase in global ocean and air temperature, approaching the threshold of catastrophic warming, increases in extreme storms, floods, wildfires, heat deaths and ecosystem damage, the displacement of millions of climate refugees and trillions of dollars in economic losses. Policymakers generally ignore this significant, long term environmental impact of Alaska oil and gas.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the “Social Cost of Carbon” — the long term economic damage, e.g. to agriculture, human health, coastal infrastructure, natural systems, etc., caused from a ton of CO2 emissions — at $190 per ton. A more recent scientific study estimates costs of more than $280 per ton of CO2 released. At these rates, Alaska oil and gas is responsible for a total of $2.3 trillion to $3.4 trillion in long-term financial losses due to climate change across the world, significantly more than its cumulative market value.

To recap, Alaska’s 20 billion barrels of oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of gas to date has released 12 billion tons of greenhouse gases to the global atmosphere, causing $2 trillion-$3 trillion in long-term damage across the world.

And here at home, Alaska continues to suffer a disproportionate share of the overall ecological, social and financial damage from human-caused climate change, for which Alaska oil and gas shares at least some responsibility.

Rick Steiner is a retired marine conservation professor from the University of Alaska.

• • •

The Anchorage Daily News welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.

Source link

Related Topics:cabinet-secretaries Featured Prudhoe Bay pump station 1 Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

Click to comment

Alaska

Jessie Holmes wins Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Jessie Holmes wins Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award

Veteran musher Jessie Holmes (bib # 7 ), of Brushkana, Alaska was the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint at 8:03 p.m. today with 16 dogs in harness, winning the Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award.

First presented in 2019 and given to the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint, this award is presented by Lead Dog partner, Alaska Air Transit. First introduced in 2019, this award honors the first musher to arrive at the McGrath Checkpoint. The McGrath community shares deep ties to the Iditarod, and the award reflects that connection, featuring beaver fur mushers mitts with Athabaskan beadwork on moose hide, handcrafted by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath, along with a beaver fur hat made by Rosalie Egrass of McGrath. The award was presented to Holmes by Jessica Beans-Vaeao, Charter Coordinator for Alaska Air Transit

“Our team is excited to present this Spirit of Iditarod award in McGrath again this year. The Beaded Moose Hide and Beaver Mitts were made by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath, and the hand sewn Beaver Hat was made by Rosalie Egrass of McGrath. Rosalie Egrass was able to fly home on our plane that took our crew and the award to McGrath, which made for a pretty special trip! We are proud to be providing service to McGrath, and feel that all local Air Carriers represent the spirit of Iditarod throughout Alaska on a daily basis. It is great to be a part of the air carriers that service the state with essential supplies and transportation, and to be a part of the Iditarod in a meaningful way,” said Josie Owen, owner of Alaska Air Transit.

This is Alaska Air Transit’s eighth year sponsoring the Iditarod and seventh year presenting the Spirit of Iditarod Award. Alaska Air Transit offers crucial flight support statewide via air charter and provides scheduled service to the Upper Kuskokwim communities of Nikolai, McGrath, Takotna and Tatalina as well as the Prince William Sound communities of Tatitlek and Chenega.

Source link

Alaska

Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 ASAA State Championship Brackets – March 10

Published

14 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 ASAA State Championship Brackets – March 10

The 2026 Alaska high school girls basketball state championships begin this week, and High School On SI has brackets for all four classifications.

The brackets will be updated with scores and matchups throughout the week.

All four classifications will play their state championship games at Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

The 1A and 2A championships run March 11-14. Classes 3A and 4A play the following week, March 18-21.

Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 State Championship Brackets, Matchups, Schedule – March 10

3/11 – Shaktoolik (1) vs. Arlicaq (16)

3/11 – Kake (8) vs. Tri-Valley (9)

3/11 – Fort Yukon (4) vs. Andreafski (13)

3/11 – Sand Point (5) vs. Napaaqutgmiut (12)

3/11 – Scammon Bay (2) vs. Nunamiut (15)

3/11 – Akiuk Memorial (7) vs. Newhalen (10)

3/11 – Davis-Romoth (3) vs. Cook Inlet Academy (14)

3/11 – Hoonah (6) vs. Shishmaref (11)

3/12 – Seward (1) vs. Chevak (8)

3/12 – Metlakatla (4) vs. Cordova (5)

3/12 – Craig (2) vs. Susitna Valley (7)

3/12 – Glennallen (3) vs. Degnan (6)

3/18 – Barrow (1) vs. Kotzebue (8)

3/18 – Grace Christian (4) vs. Galena (5)

3/18 – Monroe Catholic (2) vs. Delta (7)

3/18 – Mt. Edgecumbe (3) vs. Kenai Central (6)

3/18 – Mountain City Christian Academy (1) vs. North Pole (8)

3/18 – Colony (4) vs. West (5)

3/18 – Bartlett (2) vs. Juneau-Douglas (7)

3/18 – Wasilla (3) vs. Service (6)

More Coverage from High School On SI

Source link

Alaska

Made In The USA: The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Made In The USA: The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company

This is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.

The Alaska Wall Tent comes in an array of sizes and versions, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your individual use-case. They’re all individually made in Alaska, and perhaps even more importantly, they’re all tested extensively to be able to handle local conditions.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 5

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 2

This is the Alaska Wall Tent by the Alaska Gear Company, each one is made in the United States from Sunforger 13oz DLX, a double-filled, pre-shrunk, marine-grade canvas ideal for longterm outdoor use.

History Speedrun: The Alaska Gear Company

The Alaska Gear Company was formerly known as Airframes Alaska, it’s an aviation and outdoor equipment supplier and manufacturer headquartered in Palmer, Alaska. The company is led by majority owner Sean McLaughlin, who bought the original bush airplane parts business when it had just two employees and $100,000 in annual revenue. McLaughlin has since grown it to approximately 100 employees and $20 million in annual sales.

The company can trace its early roots to a licensed maker of Piper PA-18 Super Cub fuselages at Birchwood Airport. Through a series of acquisitions, including Reeve Air Motive (an aircraft parts retailer operating out of Anchorage’s Merrill Field since 1950, Alaska Tent & Tarp, and Northern Sled Works, the company grew well beyond aviation into outdoor recreation and cold-weather gear.

That diversification ultimately drove the rebrand from Airframes Alaska to Alaska Gear Company in late 2023, as the old name no longer conveyed the full scope of what the company produces and sells.

The Alaska Gear Company now operates out of three locations – a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Palmer, a production facility in Fairbanks, and a retail store with an in-house sewing workshop at Merrill Field in Anchorage.

Its product lines span two major categories. On the aviation side, the company is best known for its hand-built Alaskan Bushwheel tundra tires, FAA-approved titanium landing gear, Super Cub fuselage modifications, and a wide range of bush plane parts. On the outdoor side, it manufactures Arctic Oven hot tents, canvas wall tents, custom freight and pulk sleds, and a modernized version of the iconic military bunny boot designed for extreme cold weather conditions.

More recently in 2024, the Alaska Gear Company was named “Made in Alaska Manufacturer of the Year” by the Alaska Department of Commerce.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company

The Alaska Canvas Wall Tent is a handmade-in-Alaska canvas tent made from 13oz Sunforger DLX double-filled, preshrunk, marine-grade cotton canvas that’s treated to resist fire, water, and mildew while still remaining breathable.

It comes in four sizes, including 8×10, 10×12, 12×14, and 14×16 feet, all with 5-foot wall heights, and it’s available either unframed (starting at $1,295) or with a frame (starting at $2,300). The unframed version can be constructed in the field using lengths of wood sourced from the area, reducing the initial pack weight – this is crucial for trips into the wilderness by bush plane where every pound of weight is critical.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 7

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 4

All tents include a 4.5 inch oval stove jack for use with wood or propane stoves, as well as a 56 inch triangular rear window with insect screening, an 18oz vinyl sod cloth around the base to block drafts and moisture, ridgepole openings at both ends, rope-reinforced eaves, brass grommets, overlapping door flaps with ties, a heavy-duty zippered door, and 100 feet of sisal rope for tie-downs.

The tents are now available to buy direct from the Alaska Gear Company here, and at the time of writing they have stock ready to ship out immediately.

The Alaska Wall Tent By The Alaska Gear Company 10

Images courtesy of the Alaska Gear Company

Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.

Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

Source link