In his Feb. 24 ADN commentary, Alaska Gasline Development Corp.’s Frank Richards tried to convince readers that deepening Alaska’s reliance on fossil gas is the best way to strengthen our energy and economic security.
Mr. Richards has a vested interest in building a gas pipeline, but Alaska does not. We need to move our energy systems away from fossil fuels and protect Alaskans from bearing the cost of an outdated infrastructure in the future.
The International Energy Agency’s Net Zero by 2050 study found that in the next 15 years, the world’s biggest economies will have to significantly reduce emissions from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Fossil gas is not the answer, especially when you consider that leakage from gas delivery systems releases methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas with 84 times the global warming potential of CO2 over a 20-year timeframe.
The writing is on the wall: gas use will have to decline steeply, and investments in gas infrastructure don’t align with U.S. climate goals. So what’s the best way forward?
Instead of having governments pick winners and losers among all the possible energy sources, a strong, economy-wide price on carbon could reduce America’s carbon pollution by 50% by 2030, putting us on track to reach net zero by 2050. When government puts a price on carbon, it sends a signal through the economy. Businesses respond by becoming more energy efficient and developing new sources of clean, renewable energy. These innovations will not only lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but also provide abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy and drive us faster toward net zero carbon pollution.
Now is the time to contact Congressman Don Young, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and President Joe Biden and urge them to put a price on carbon.
— Tim Hinterberger
Anchorage
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