When Sarah Palin was Governor of Alaska, before she resigned, she was so worried about the effect of global warming that she established a “Climate Change Sub-Cabinet” to study the need for Alaskans to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since she left office Governor Parnell has ignored the need for Alaskans to focus on the deleterious effects of global warming. The Cabinet hasn’t met in three years.  Looking back at Palin’s administration it would appear that she was concerned about the climate change problems in Alaska, as she directed her climate change team to convene an “Immediate Action Work Group” comprised of both federal and state officials to identify ways to protect Alaska’s most at-risk communities.

“Alaska is the state most vulnerable to climate change, and its disastrous effects are here now, and growing worse every year,” said Rick Steiner, a retired University of Alaska professor and PEER board member who pursued the issue.

Yet the reality is that once Palin became the Vice Presidential nominee, all concern for global warming evaporated.

In fact it was July, 2008, just a few weeks before she was tapped by McCain, she explained :

“Alaska’s climate is warming. While there have been warming and cooling trends before, climatologists tell us that the current rate of warming is unprecedented within the time of human civilization. Many experts predict that Alaska, along with our northern latitude neighbors, will warm at a faster pace than any other areas, and the warming will continue for decades.”

 

climate change alaska map

Palin was known for her chant of “Drill Baby Drill.” She sued the Federal Government to remove Polar Bears from the endangered species list. She dismissed climate models that predicted continued loss of sea ice as “unreliable,” “uncertain,” and “unproven.

Polar bear on iceflow, Chuckchi Sea.

She even called the science behind global warming “snake oil science.”

snake oil

It seems that today there isn’t much controversy about the effects of global warming. From fires in Texas to hurricanes in New Jersey, global warming is an undisputed systemic cause for many natural disasters. Alaska has experienced, first hand the effects of global warming. Sarah probably missed the record storm in Alaska last September when a massive low pressure system swept through Alaska. Anchorage experienced “hurricane-force winds” which caused 55,000 homes to lose power. These storms were unusual not because of the winds but, because of their timing. Such storms are almost unheard of in early September. A storm of this magnitude in September was described as an anomaly that might occur once in 4800 years.

Sarah was probably getting a tan in Arizona last September, or in Iowa giving her Tea Party speech when she was still suggesting she might run for President.

Palin is no longer the Governor, a candidate for anything, or a Fox News commentator. However the people of Alaska continue to feel the effects of the Half-Term Ex-Governor.

climate change alaska one

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