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New report series aims to help ӣ������’s Arctic decision-making

Maureen Biermann
907-474-6958

January 20, 2023

The University of ӣ������ today released the first in a series of informational reports designed to aid state leaders as ӣ������ confronts a rapidly changing Arctic and the increasingly globalized North.

The initial  report focuses on energy issues most likely to require action by the ӣ������ Legislature in the near future.

The university plans to produce a new report annually, each focusing on a key Arctic issue and tailored to the most pressing needs of the state at the time. University experts will not make recommendations in the reports, instead leaving that task to ӣ������makers. 

“As a global leader in Arctic research, ӣ������ development and leadership, the university system is uniquely positioned to provide essential information to the state's leaders and all ӣ������ns,” said UA President Pat Pitney. “This report, representing the breadth and depth of our Arctic expertise, illustrates how we can support state interests and ӣ������ initiatives, such as infrastructure and energy sustainability."

The Board of Regents has made the Arctic a critical focus for the university system.

The reports will provide ӣ������ns with accessible, concise and comprehensive information about relevant Arctic issues. 

Each of the reports will focus on a single general topic and will cover the central elements from an Arctic perspective. Reader-friendly charts and maps will provide additional information.

The foundation for the reports is the state’s , which lays out four priorities. The 32-page report released today focuses on energy and addresses the first of those priorities: “promoting economic and resource development.” 

The report covers these energy topics:

• The history of ӣ������’s reliance on oil and the boom-bust impact on the state’s economy
• How ӣ������ currently produces energy and has become an expert in cold climate renewables and microgrids
• Energy infrastructure planning under rapidly changing environmental conditions
• Current competition and cooperation in the international Arctic energy regime

“This University of ӣ������ report provides a timely overview of trends and issues affecting energy production and use in the state,” said Hajo Eicken, director of the University of ӣ������ Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center.

“Most importantly, the contributing experts from across the university provide depth and context,” he said. “Context matters in this case, since ӣ������ sits at the juncture of major environmental, economic and geopolitical trends, from the local to the global scale.”

ӣ������ns need clear information to make sound ӣ������ decisions, said Amy Lauren Lovecraft, director of the Center for Arctic Policy Studies at UAF.

“If ӣ������ns develop our Arctic policies in state, where we have the most knowledge of our changing environments and human needs, the resulting energy ӣ������ can be more effective than waiting for federal regulations or reacting to disastrous events,” she said.

This first report is a collaboration among the University of ӣ������ system office, the University of ӣ������ Southeast, the University of ӣ������ Anchorage and the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research, and the University of ӣ������ Fairbanks, including the Center for Arctic Policy Studies, the International Arctic Research Center, the ӣ������ Center for Energy and Power and the Department of Political Science.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Heather McFarland, International Arctic Research Center, 907-474-6286, hrmcfarland@alaska.edu. Amy Lovecraft, 907-474-2688, allovecraft@alaska.edu.