About Our Symposium
If you can say yes to these questions you, and your state, are hardly alone. In Alaska recent studies have indicated that summers come earlier, average temperatures are rising and the growing season is longer. The effects of climate change are amplified at the poles of the earth, but its consequences can be felt everywhere. Think about only one geophysical attribute of the world necessary for human survival – water – and consider the evidence.
In the Far North the permafrost that lakes depend upon is diminishing causing freshwater to become difficult to store and access. The variability of permafrost further means instability of ice roads for transport. Longer summers have meant more wildfires and need for water and infrastructure to tackle them. But, such social, ecological, and economic problems are hardly only experienced in Alaska. Across the Pacific Northwest the rapid changes in climate, and the effects produced by them are altering the choices people can make in their lives. Farmers are finding their harvests unpredictable. Ranchers must search wider and deeper for water. Vineyards are withering in some places and flooded in others. The causes are indeed many, ranging from inadequate and antiquated water laws and policy to the very change in climate producing unusual and intense warming.
The unpredictability of water will not only contribute to the lack of economic stability for producers and consumers but change the very quality of our lives. The problems and issues of water are dramatic and immediate and must be addressed in a timely and scientific manner. However we must not only point out the results of the critical issues of water use but offer practical solutions to those problems. Furthermore, the identification of problems and solutions cannot simply be limited to a narrow scope of interests. Knowledge from small communities, indigenous groups all the way up to the satellites remotely sensing change and the scientists that record it must be evaluated. People in urban and rural environments both have great stakes in how wilderness areas as well as urban waterways are managed. It may seem overwhelming but, what if there were a forum to address these issues?
The International Polar Year, March 2007 to March 2009, has been highlighting a suite of major interconnected transformations that are underway in the North but which directly affect the entire Northwest. These include (1) regime shifts in climate and the environment that are near-unprecedented in the historical and recent geological record; (2) the sweeping effects of rapid change on Northern populations and cultures; (3) expansion of global geopolitical and economic interests in a Northwest direction; and (4) increasing interdependence between the regional and global processes of the Arctic, the Pacific, and Inland Northwest. By focusing the attention of the world on Polar Regions, the IPY has presented unique opportunity to emphasize the quality of research and educative efforts already underway and to make the case for innovative work that contributes to our futures. Furthermore, this has been the first International Polar Year to specifically address the human dimension, encouraging research on social, political, and economic concerns. IPY encourages scientists from across the globe to collaborate to find new ways to address the impacts of climate change and development in the Polar Regions and to share their findings with the scientific community and the public.
We believe the INRA symposium, Lessons from Continuity and Change in the Fourth International Polar Year, to be a timely event to consider both the continuity of cultures and landscapes as well as the changes occurring to them. The North has lessons to teach lower latitudes about adaptive practices, measuring vulnerabilities, design of infrastructure, and innovative policy-making. But, it also has much to learn from other states facing similar changes! Our symposium seeks to not only engage research on such issues but also forge new alliances among scholars, practitioners, and stakeholders centered on a common interest in and commitment to the Northwest. In particular, this symposium can serve as a forum to explore, discuss, plan and prepare opportunities for sustainable development in INRA’s regions that are experiencing rapid transformation. The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is ideally situated to participate in IPY research, education and outreach. For years UAF researchers have been recognized as leaders in polar research. From climate change to arctic indigenous peoples, UAF researchers in a wide range of disciplines offer a wealth of expertise on the northern latitudes that lie just outside their front door. These same researchers also recognize the importance of learning from colleagues both within and outside of their own disciplines. Consequently, the symposium will feature several interactive roundtables for participation by all attendees as well as three sessions of cross-cutting themes to address concerns shared across disciplines.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, is hosting this very important and timely symposium on March 4-7, 2009.