It’s easy to feel alone in the conviction that now is the time to stop developing
new oil & gas leases in Alaska.
In 2022, we’ve seen Congress mandate that Lease Sale 258 in the federal waters
of Lower Cook Inlet move forward before the end of the year; and the Biden
Administration expressing support for the Alaska LNG project and proposing an
Outer Continental Shelf Five-Year Plan (2023–2028) with more Cook Inlet lease
sales.
This flurry of interest in new oil & gas development reflects the short-sightedness of
our political reality – certainly not our climate reality.
In October, the latest Emissions Gap Report by the United Nations Environment
Programme made it painfully clear that we are not meeting our global commitments
to limit climate change. We will blow by the 1.5 degree Celsius target of the Paris
Agreement which was set to avoid the worst of wildfires, intense flooding, drought,
heat waves and species extinction. We are currently on track to warm by an average
of 2.1–2.9 degrees Celsius by 2100.
However, this year, Cook Inletkeeper also learned that despite news headlines and
political posturing, many Alaskans are ready to move beyond the fossil-fuel fatalism
espoused by those who prioritize economic profits over liveable communities.
Thousands of Alaskans spoke up this year to say NO to new oil & gas leasing and
called on President Biden and Interior Secretary Haaland to permanently withdraw
Cook Inlet from all future offshore lease sales.
Thank you for standing with us and raising your voices and coming
together to work on climate solutions. Cook Inletkeeper is clearly not alone in
our conviction that we can thrive with alternative, renewable energy options and
proactive community solutions that make the future filled with opportunity, and
not fear.
Thank you for reading. We are able to do this work because of member support from concerned friends like you. Please donate today to protect Cook Inlet for our future generations.