Environmental Justice
In response to the costs associated with over 30 years of oil and gas development in America’s Arctic, the growing threats of future development on and off the shores of Alaska, and the impacts of global warming to the region’s fragile ecosystem Alaska Wilderness League opened an Arctic Environmental Justice Center in Anchorage, Alaska office in January of 2007.
Environmental Justice Issues in America’s Arctic
The Arctic Environmental Justice Center provides a base of outreach and support for members of Arctic communities who are on the front lines of the destruction from industrial development. This development is as much a threat to the physical environment as it is a violation of human rights and social justice. Environmental justice is the right to a safe, healthy, productive, and sustainable environment for all, where “environment” is considered in its totality to include the ecological (biological), physical (natural and built), social, political, aesthetic, and economic environments. The growing threats of environmental injustice within Arctic communities are real. Described as the “canary in the coal mine,” America’s Arctic is becoming the sacrifice zone of global warming. Alaska has already been harder hit by climate change than any other place in the nation. America’s Arctic, the “ground zero” of the impacts of climate change, is melting at an unprecedented rate as a result of our addiction to fossil fuels.
Our Goals
The goals of Alaska Wilderness League’s Arctic Environmental Justice Center are to:
- Meet the needs of Arctic community members impacted by environmental injustice and infuse the issue of environmental justice and community values into our campaign to protect America’s Arctic.
- Establish a larger base and stronger network of activists, community leaders, and spokespeople to tell the Arctic story.
- Enhance communication tools and networking capabilities between Arctic communities and activists across the country.
The voices of the Arctic tell the tale of a changing landscape and cultures at risk. Now, more than ever, these voices need to be heard and supported before it is too late. Alaska Wilderness League is committed to supporting the voices of Arctic communities facing environmental injustice.
