Alaska, USA

Opportunities in Alaska

• The fishing industry
  • Commercial fishing provides 78,500 jobs and adds US$6 billion to the state economy per year.
  • 3000 rivers in Alaska that are relied on by Native American communities for subsistence fishing.
• Mineral extraction
  • One third of the state’s mining wealth comes from gold.
  • In 2013, the Pebble Mine project was cancelled because indigenous people protested against it. It would have been the largest open-pit operation in North America. Anglo America walked away from a $500 billion investment.
  • The toxic chemicals used to process gold (mercury, cyanide and nitric acid) damage humans and the environment.
• Energy production
  • 50 hydro-electric power plants supply Alaska with a fifth of their energy.
• Tourism
  • 1-2 million tourists attracted per year, so work is seasonal and tour guides are sometimes poorly paid.
  • 60% of tourists are cruise ship passengers.
• Oil production
  • 90% of taxes come through oil.
  • 1 in 7 Alaskans have a job in oil production.
  • The pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez passes underground in some regions so that it does not disturb caribou migration.
  • Took $8 billion to build.
  • In 1989, 12 orcas, seabirds and other sea life died due to an oil spill.

Challenges in Alaska

• Extreme temperatures
  • Temperatures fall well below -30 degrees Celcius.
  • This creates hostile working environments and treacherous road conditions.
• Inaccessibility
  • Sparcely populated and very remote region.
  • People may not be able to rely upon supplies of food and energy.
  • Most people are self-sufficient because of this.
• Provision of buildings and infrastructure
  • Roads are prone to cracks when the active layer of the permafrost melts in the summer.
  • Roads are built on raised gravel beds 1-2m deep to avoid heat transfer.
  • Buildings are triple glazed to prevent heat loss and have steep pitched roofs to get rid of the snow.
  • Airport Runways are painted white to reflect sunlight