Why the Arctic says no to Big Oil

My friend Jim Stump recently spent five days camping above the Arctic Circle with a group of faith leaders in the very place Big Oil keeps trying to drill ... and what's happening there right now is more hopeful than you'd think.

💸 Good news: When 690,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge went up for oil and gas leasing this June, only two bidders showed up; and neither of them were a major oil company.

🧊 Not-so-good news: The same Arctic that sustains polar bears, caribou, and Gwich'in communities just recorded its hottest year since at least 1900, with winter sea ice hitting the lowest level in the 47-year satellite record.

🌿 What you can do: Jim's group was hosted by the Gwich'in people, who have cared for this land for thousands of years. Learn more about their land and their fight with the two-minute film linked here. 

Standing with those on the front lines starts with paying attention; and that support grows when we share their story. 💚

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Post-production and mix by John Crowley at Loudmouth Studio.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to Talking Climate with Catherine Hayho. Each episode, we explore how climate change is affecting the people, places, and things we love, and what we can do to make a difference. From science to solutions and stories that inspire, you're in the right place for real talk about real change. This week I'm handing the newsletter over to my colleague and friend Jim Stump from BioLogos. It's a nonprofit originally founded by Francis Collins, former head of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, that helps Christians explore and learn about faith and science. I serve as Bio Logos Senior Advisor for Hope and Climate, and it's through that work that this week's edition came to be. Earlier this year, a nonprofit education group invited me to join a small delegation of faith leaders traveling to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I was not able to participate, so I asked Jim if he might attend instead. He said an immediate yes to five days camping above the Arctic Circle, far from roads or electricity. There, Jim was able to see the midnight sun circle the horizon without setting, drink from a stream fed by melting snow, observe the tundra's miniature world of flowers and lichens, and even watch a grizzly bear root around on a hillside. In this week's newsletter, I've asked Jim to share some of what he witnessed on this extraordinary trip, what this remarkable place teaches us about our shared future, and how we can stand alongside the many already working to protect it. Take it away, Jim. Good news. In June, nearly 690,000 acres of the U.S. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain were offered for oil and gas leasing. Only five of the 58 available tracks received bids. Two bidders participated, neither of them a major oil company, and the winning bids totaled just $3.7 million. That is encouraging because the sale was supposed to demonstrate strong commercial demand for drilling in the refuge. Instead, it showed that major companies recognize the enormous financial, logistical, and reputational risks of industrializing one of America's wildest places. This is not a complete victory. Five leases covering roughly 70,000 acres were sold, and even preliminary exploration could damage fragile tundra and disrupt wildlife. But the lack of serious industry interest tells us something important. Decades of public advocacy have mattered. Companies know that people are watching and that drilling in the Arctic refuge carries a cost beyond the price of equipment and infrastructure. The refuge is home to polar bears, migratory birds, and the calving grounds of the porcupine caribou herd. Protecting it is not an abstract environmental cause. It means protecting a place loved by generations of people, especially the Gwichin communities, whose lives and culture remain closely connected to the caribou. The sales poor response is evidence that public outcry can change what companies consider possible. Not so good news. From a mountain above our campsite, I could see a narrow white line on the northern horizon, the frozen Arctic Ocean, about 20 miles away. It looked immense and permanent. It isn't. These are not just numbers about a distant sheet of ice. Sea ice is habitat. It helps protect Arctic coastlines and shapes the food webs on which animals and human communities depend. Snow and ice also reflect sunlight. When they disappear, darker land and water absorb more heat, accelerating the changes already underway. The Arctic is warning us that later really can be too late. Carbon pollution from burning coal, oil, and gas is changing a place that has sustained wildlife and indigenous communities for generations. What happens in the Arctic will not remain in the Arctic. But even if it did, that should be reason enough to protect it. A place does not have to be in our backyard to be part of the world we love and hope to pass along. What you can do. Listen to the stories of those on the front lines and stand with them. On our trip, we got to meet and talk with several representatives of the Gwichin people, who for thousands of years have depended on the porcupine caribou herd for food, culture, community, and spiritual life. They call the herds calving grounds on the coastal plain Isaac Guatsan Guandai Gudlit, the sacred place where life begins. When that land and the caribou are threatened, the Gwichin way of life is threatened too. Here are three actions you can take this week in support of these indigenous people. Number one, watch and listen. Begin with the two-minute film The Gwichin and Vatsai, Protecting Our Way of Life, in which the Gwichin people explain in their own voices why the caribou and their habitat matter. Number two, stay informed. Sign up for updates from the Gwichin Steering Committee. They share news about threats to the refuge and opportunities for public action. You can also donate to Gwichin-led advocacy. Number three, if you live in the U.S., make your voice heard. Contact your senators and representative and tell them you want the Arctic Refuge protected from oil and gas development. You're in the majority. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 68% of Americans support this. Care begins by paying attention. It becomes solidarity when we act alongside the people already leading the work. Thank you, Jim, for sharing your experience with us. If you'd like to learn more about Jim's work with Bio Logos, he hosts Bio Logos Podcast, Language of God, and is the author of several books, including The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to Deeper Faith. If you are a Christian or know someone who is, I also recommend checking out the Bio Logos Conversations for Creation page for steps and resources for having fact-based, values-led conversations about creation and other scientific issues such as vaccines and evolution. You can also follow Bio Logos on Instagram, Facebook, and now TikTok. Thanks for listening to Talking Climate, narrated by Ann Clown. Postproduction and mix by John Crowley at Loudmouth Studio. For more resources, links, and actions you can take, check out the full newsletter at www.talkingclimate.ca. Until next time, keep talking climate.