Glacier photos made global warning personal

Mark Begich

May 23, 2008 at 8:34AM AKST

Editor’s note: This column was originally published May 15, 2008, online at The Huffington Post. It is reprinted here with permission.

If you’d asked me four years ago, I would have said global warming wasn’t a big issue. I would have said that the evidence isn’t conclusive.
Now that couldn’t be further from the truth.

What happened?
My change started when I went to Sundance in 2005 with 40 mayors, as well as Al Gore and Robert Redford. This was back when “An Inconvenient Truth” was just an incredible PowerPoint presentation and not an Oscar-winning film. But the presentation opened my eyes for the first time — and what I saw shocked me.

I returned to Alaska after that 1-1/2 day trip. I pulled out a photo of me as a child by the Portage Glacier with three of my siblings, and the ice was just 10 feet from me. Then I went out to the same location with my son, Jacob, then 3, and took a photo of him. I literally couldn’t see the ice.

What happened to me in that moment was truly life-changing.

The evidence was right there in those two pictures. I went back to Anchorage and I started to act. In 2006, I had the municipality of Anchorage hire a renewable resources coordinator, as well as two interns. I also created a community grant program to support groups that were doing work to protect our climate.

Anchorage is now implementing programs to save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars through policies such as replacing street lights with LED lights, shutting down city computers when not in use and harnessing methane gas from the city landfill.
The methane capture project will produce enough electricity to power 2,500 homes for more than 40 years. These simple actions helped save our city money and conserve resources that would otherwise be wasted, making life easier and cleaner for Alaskan families.

With fellow mayors from Southcentral Alaska, I formed the Tri-Borough Commission, which is spearheading a balanced Alaska energy policy emphasizing new development, conservation and renewable energy.

I’ve also spearheaded the creation of a task force asked to look at merging the operations of Alaska’s two largest electric utilities. Initial estimates put the potential savings of joint operations at $200 million.

I want to bring my results-oriented attitude towards climate policy that has been successful in Anchorage to the national level. My record of results for Alaska families when it comes to energy is a big reason why I’m ready to serve in the U.S. Senate.
What I saw at Portage Glacier in 2005 was, sadly, the rule and not the exception when it comes to the climate crisis in Alaska.

Alaska is ground zero for global warming. I look around our state and see all the signs.
Villages are literally being washed into the ocean. The polar ice cap is shrinking. Wildlife populations are being displaced and pests like the spruce bark beetle are destroying our forests.

We have to do something
I’ve seen the value action at the municipal level has had in my city and around Alaska. The meaning is clear: We need leadership today at all levels of government to confront global warming.

But we specifically need national leadership that has the experience, knowledge and commitment to get results. As a U.S. senator, I will lead the fight to get results for Alaska’s families and all Americans. The time to act is now.

Mark Begich is serving as mayor of Anchorage and is campaigning for the U.S. Senate. His campaign office can be reached at (907) 297-2530.