Alaska's Climate Change Process

This site is devoted to Alaska's Climate Change Process, while the related Alaska Climate Change Strategy site reflects the broader climate change initiatives in the state.

The Climate Change Sub-Cabinet

On September 14, 2007, Governor Sarah Palin signed Administrative Order No. 238, officially forming the Alaska Climate Change Sub-Cabinet (see Press Release). The Sub-Cabinet is charged with preparing and implementing an Alaska Climate Change Strategy. This will be a transparent document which deals with state policies for anticipated climate change. 

The Sub-Cabinet's strategy will discuss: 

• Building the state's knowledge of the actual and foreseeable effects of climate warming in Alaska    
• Developing appropriate measures and policies to prepare communities in Alaska for the anticipated impacts from climate change    
• Providing guidance regarding Alaska's participation in regional and national efforts addressing causes and effects of climate change 

On September 21, 2007, Governor Palin signed on as an Observer to the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). The WCI is a collaboration launched in February 2007 between the Governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington to meet regional challenges raised by climate change. Other States and Canadian Provinces have joined, some as partners, some as observers. 

The Climate Change Advisory Groups

The Climate Change Sub-Cabinet’s efforts are organized into two broad themes. “Adaptation” includes those measures that can be taken to respond to the effects of climate change. “Mitigation” refers to measures to reduce Alaska’s greenhouse gas emissions and to address other sources and causes of climate change. See the Adaptation Advisory Group and the Mitigation Advisory Group pages for members, meeting information, and documents. 

Over the course of the next year, the efforts of the Adaptation Advisory Group and the Mitigation Advisory Group will each be supported by the efforts of four or five technical work groups. 

The Mitigation Technical Work Groups will examine ways in which greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through conservation, efficiency and technological advances. Technical work groups have been assembled around general greenhouse gas mitigation action categories: 

• oil and gas    
• energy supply and demand    
• transportation and land use    
• forestry, agriculture, waste    
• cross-cutting issues, which includes overall greenhouse gas reduction goals and all issues that do not fit into the above sectors.

The Mitigation Advisory Group efforts will be aided by consultants from the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS).   CCS has worked with more than 20 states to design, launch, and successfully manage the creation of comprehensive state climate action plans that significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. CCS also works with state policy makers after the planning phase to implement actions with consensus building, job and fiscal impact studies, administrative and legislative policy design, program financing alternatives, agency planning, and public-private partnership formation. 

The Adaptation Technical Work Groups are focusing on areas such as how to address present and future impacts on: 

• public infrastructure    
• health and culture    
• natural systems    
• economic activities

Click HERE to return to the Alaska Climate Change Strategy Homepage.

Alaska's Climate Change 
Advisory Groups

Mitigation Advisory Group
Final Report

 
Click here for the Final Report, complete information and supporting documents.

There will be no more meetings of the MAG.

Adaptation Advisory Group
TBA
Anchorage

The AAG Meeting Agenda is available here.
Click here for more information.