Nearly 20 years ago historian Stephen Ambrose visited Juneau as part of the Alaska Humanities Forum. The author of “Undaunted Courage,” “Citizen Soldiers” and other bestselling books, Ambrose said the last century had been darkened by world wars. But overall the century’s theme was inspiring: democracy prevailed over totalitarianism.
A young student asked him what would be the theme of the next century — this century. Without hesitating, Ambrose said it would have to be “the restoration of nature.” If it’s not; if we don’t soon change our indulgent, destructive habits, everything will unravel.
Ambrose said we’re plundering this planet. We’ve altered more than 80% of the earth’s land surface area. For every one person alive on the earth 1,000 years ago, there are 25 today, many living lavishly, flying here, driving there, buying this, throwing away that. We’re poisoning and acidifying our oceans, and burning coal and oil like drunkards at a fossil fuel feast. We’ve initiated a sixth great extinction.
The best science tells us that if modern man burns just 20 percent of the world’s known oil reserves, and pumps that carbon into the atmosphere (as CO2, a greenhouse gas), we will destabilize the global environment and geo-political sphere and condemn future generations to a diminished quality of life, if not chaos and war. The Pentagon has many people working on this. They consider it serious, though the GOP — the only major political party in the developed world that denies human-caused climate change — refuses to acknowledge it.
The truth can be hard to swallow. As Dumbledore said to Harry Potter, “You’re soon going to have choose between what’s easy and what’s right.”
Can the Alaska Congressional Delegation do the right thing? Don Young? No. Dan Sullivan, probably not. Lisa Murkowski? Maybe. She listens. She learns. She grows.
As President George W. Bush said, we are addicted to oil. Addicts make poor decisions; they take things too far. One of those poor decisions would be to drill for oil and gas in the 1002 Area — the biological heart — of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Right where the caribou give birth to their calves. Drilling proponents say the industrial footprint would be small. Build a gas station in the Vatican. See how that goes. “There are no sacred and unsacred places, only sacred and desecrated places,” says Kentucky poet and novelist Wendell Berry.
Even Forbes, the investment magazine, says things cannot continue in this destructive, burn-baby-burn manner without dire consequences. The rights of countless unborn generations outweigh the desires of a few industrial interests today.
I have visited the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I find it one of the most beautiful and compelling places on earth. And I believe wild beauty is essential to our mental and spiritual health. It inspires us to find the best in ourselves, and to take care of this planet as the only home we’ll ever know.
Awhile ago another historian said to me that he fears our fossil fuel economy is quickly becoming immoral, much as slavery was 200 years ago in the Old South. Slavery created a rich society that rationalized it by saying they loved their slaves and treated them well; their economy was slavery-based, after all; their slaves would never know what to do with their freedom. They were wrong. That’s their legacy.
Will Alaska today, the New North, one day be regarded as immoral as the Old South? This haunts me. The future is out there looking back at us, asking us to restrain ourselves. To kick the habit. To be wise.
And yes, the irony: all this digging, drilling and burning that’s created great prosperity now imperils us. And yes, the hypocrisy: our Declaration of Independence written by a 33-year-old farmer, scholar and slave-owner who never did release his slaves.
Drilling for oil is an economic narcotic; a short-term solution to a long-term problem. The Clean Energy Revolution awaits us. Alternative energy possibilities are boundless in Alaska. Tidal power alone has great potential.
All it takes is imagination, innovation, the will to change. To stop the addiction. Get creative. Join the revolution. And let it be.
Lisa, please.
Let a refuge be a refuge.
• Author Kim Heacox lives in Gustavus. His most recent books are “Jimmy Bluefeather,” a literary novel, and “Rhythm of the Wild,” a Denali memoir.
