As Trump's policies deny the existential threats of climate change, Alaskan Arctic is on the front lines of the controversy

As we contemplate the impact of President Donald Trump’s reckless denial of the existential threat of climate change, we should remember that Alaska's Arctic is on the front lines of the controversy.

The Arctic is divided into several sections. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge consists of 19.6 million acres in the northeast part of the state, and it is the happy hunting ground of caribou, musk oxen, wolves, polar bears and other species, the most magnificent protected wilderness in America.

I was fortunate to experience that refuge on a raft trip during the summer solstice in 2003, going down the Kongakut River from the Brooks Range onto the Arctic coastal plain during the great caribou migration. It would be hard to exaggerate the grandeur of that country, or the tragedy that its destruction would mean for our country.

During his previous administration, Trump attempted to open the Arctic Refuge to oil development, but significantly, oil companies did not come forward quickly to take advantage of the opportunity. They may have been somewhat intimidated by the certainty of protracted litigation by environmental groups. 

The northwest part of Alaska is dominated by the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, another 23 million acres of unspoiled wilderness, despite its unfortunate name. Like the Arctic Refuge, the Petroleum Reserve is used by Natives as their traditional caribou hunting ground.

In between the Arctic Refuge and the Petroleum Reserve is Prudhoe Bay, which is the largest oil field in North America. The black gold which powers much of our economy was first struck there in 1968, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses the state from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, which is on Prince William Sound southeast of Anchorage. The pipeline pumps over 300,000 barrels of oil per day, and if production drops significantly below that level, particularly in the winter months, the pipeline must shut down.  

The oil industry has begun to expand into the National Petroleum Reserve, beginning with the so-called Willow Project, which is somewhat west of Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coastal plain. Willow is scheduled to begin production in 2029, having been approved by the Biden administration in 2023, a decision which shocked environmental groups.

The caribou herd knows where it’s unwelcome, and caribou generally keep their distance from roads and oil infrastructure. Therefore, the early stages of Willow Project development is reportedly already impacting the caribou.

The ravages of climate change are more drastic in the Arctic than here in the Midwest. Hotter summers in northern Alaska are pushing the caribou herds toward the coast, away from the swarms of insects that harass them and into closer contact with the oil fields that are already developed.

The Trump administration’s policies — summarized as “drill, baby, drill” — could be disastrous for the survival of the caribou, and indeed for the entire endangered ecosystem. Trump will seek to decimate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and probably does not understand why the entire National Petroleum Reserve wasn’t opened up to the oil companies decades ago.

His second administration seems more organized and prepared than his first regime was, and a huge confrontation in Congress and the courts appears to be inevitable. The Arctic wilderness, under whatever name or jurisdiction, may be our last, best chance to avert climate catastrophe. We should be contacting Sen. John Thune, Sen. Mike Rounds and Rep. Dusty Johnson, urging them not to support its decimation.

To the extent that we are able, we should consider providing financial and political support to Earthjustice, the Alaska Wilderness League, and other organizations which are standing in the breach, fighting for the survival of the people and ecosystem that depend on the survival of America's far north. 

America should not invade or annex Greenland. But we must defend the Arctic wilderness that is already under our jurisdiction. 

Jay Davis is a retired Rapid City lawyer and frequent contributor to The South Dakota Standard.

Photo: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, public domain, wikimedia commons