Dunleavy’s not fooling anyone: fossil fuels aren’t sustainable
Author: Kenzley Defler
Last month I attended the “Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference” in which the Governor opened the space by asking, “How do we make energy affordable and sustainable?” The “solutions” offered by the majority of speakers over the following three days could not have been farther from the reality of what’s needed for a clean energy transition. A plethora of mostly white, wealthy men took the stage to tout their “all of the above” energy strategy which was chock full of false solutions such as natural gas, nuclear energy, and carbon capture and storage wrongly portrayed as “sustainable” options, a common tactic known as “greenwashing”. Real solutions such as community ownership of renewable solar and wind energy were barely mentioned.
During a panel discussion on micronuclear energy, an audience member asked how potential developers are practicing free, prior and informed consent with Indigenous communities who live on the lands that would be significantly affected from nuclear power generation. The response was, “By having this type of discussion.” To be clear, “This type of discussion,” was a handful of nuclear developers sitting on a stage presenting to people who had to pay $475 admission simply to listen. The people with real lived experience fighting the effects of climate change, real concerns about where our energy comes from, and real solutions for how to create clean and equitable energy systems were not in the room, much less given space to speak.
During another breakout session a representative from Usibelli coal mine stated, “There will be no energy transition in Alaska.” While not surprising that someone who stands to profit from continued use of fossil fuels would say this, it’s inarguable that an energy transition is happening worldwide and the path forward is renewables. It's up to us to ensure that transition happens in a just way, and does not put bandaid solutions on a bigger problem, such as is the case with carbon capture and storage. Capturing carbon that is emitted from burning fossil fuels is not a long term solution. It’s simply allowing extractive industries to continue business as usual with an even higher price tag while ignoring the root cause of climate change.
Yet another example of greenwashing came in the Governor’s release of “The Alaska Standard, Inaugural Sustainability Report.” This report completely misapplied the United Nations' sustainable development goals as a way to justify current and future fossil fuel extraction efforts in Alaska, as if readers would be fooled into thinking that fossil fuel expansion is "clean" or "green." This report also proposed a new natural gas pipeline as “clean” and a good step toward transitioning to renewable energy. In reality, the proposed pipeline is only prolonging fossil fuel dependency at the expense of our communities, lands, and waters. The projected $44 billion is only to build the pipeline and doesn’t reflect other infrastructure costs such as local spurs. It also ignores the health and environmental impacts of natural gas.
One of the few uplifting presentations shared how the Kotzebue community has come together to reduce their reliance on diesel fuel to a combination of solar and wind generation with battery backup. Kotzebue now has an average of 25-30% of their power coming from renewable sources with goals to meet 50% reduction in diesel fuel by 2025. Kotzebue has proven that renewable energy sources are not only possible in small Alaskan communities, but that renewables are the best path forward to lower energy prices in the long term.
Another inspiring show of community action took place outside of the conference session where a group gathered to share visions of climate justice and renewable energy by drawing and writing in chalk on the sidewalks outside the Dena’ina Center. Community members expressed their concerns such as “Natural gas is not clean” and also expressed support for more “Energy equity” and solar and wind power. These chalk art messages voiced perspectives that were intentionally excluded from inside the conference.
Overall, the “Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference” was a frustrating and disingenuous space filled with false solutions and greenwashing. Our state can update our energy systems in an equitable and just way. But not through inaccessible conferences highlighting the voices of extractive industries and wealthy individuals. The energy transition must address the root causes of climate change and move away from fossil fuels entirely and towards renewable energy generation within a democratically managed system and a regenerative economy.
