Pebble Mine, a new mining project in Alaska, threatens the habitat of thousands of brown bears as well as the local fishing industry.
The Alaska Peninsula is a strip of land located between the Pacific Ocean and Bristol Bay, extending 800 kilometres to the south-west of the eponymous US state. Its northern reaches are rugged and mountainous, while the southern part is flatter and more forgiving. The peninsula is home to thousands of brown bears.
In fact, the local habitat is so ideal for this species that approximately a third of Alaska’s 30,000-strong population lives on the peninsula. Here they can take advantage of abundant food also thanks to reservoirs that thaw each year around the time the bears’ hibernation comes to an end.
Today this almost uncontaminated region is under threat. The construction of Pebble Mine for the extraction of gold and copper looms over the bears’ livelihood. Plans for the mine involve excavating close to water sources at high altitudes that feed the entire bay.
The Guardian reports that the project would cause the destruction of thousands of hectares of wetlands. Today, these ecosystems are home to a great many fish, which are brown bears’ main source of food, and the risk is that pollution caused by the mine may contaminate these animals.
Furthermore, the 140-kilometre-long transportation and infrastructure corridor needed to service the mine would have a devastating impact on the territory. The local fishing industry, which currently employs 14,000 people, also faces the risk of serious repercussions.
A 2014 report by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had already highlighted Pebble Mine’s enormous impact, specifically the significant risks for fish populations. However, under Donald Trump‘s administration, the agency overturned its previous assessment.
Because of the EPA’s about-face, the local population, fishing groups and environmentalists are evaluating the possibility of undertaking legal action to stop the mine from going ahead.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
Oil and gas companies will be allowed to drill in a protected nature reserve, 7.8 million hectares of wilderness across northeastern Alaska.
Kivalina is located on a small island once guarded by sea ice, which is now melting due to global warming. While the sea threatens to wipe the village off the face of the Earth, its inhabitants refuse to give up their lives and traditions.
The United States will have to obey restrictions and won’t be able to expand oil exploration in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, against President Trump’s will.
It’s been 27 years since the death of Chris McCandless, the young man who dropped everything to experience authentic life in Alaska’s wilderness. His story has been told in the book and movie Into the Wild.
The inhabitants of Shishmaref, a small village in the heart of Alaska, have decided to relocate their town due to rising sea levels.
The oil giant has announced it will end exploration drilling in Alaska. A huge victory for environmental activists.
After having restored the name Denali, coined by the Koyukon Athabascan ethnic group, to Mount McKinley, the US’ tallest mountain (20,237ft, i.e. 6,168m), Alaska, the US President Barack Obama is on a mission “into the wild” (quoting the famous book by Jon Krakauer) to discover, experience and tell the life of the Alaskans who are
Hundreds of environmental activists filled the Elliott Bay, Seattle, United States, on board of kayaks, protesting against the decision of the Dutch oil company, Royal Dutch Shell, of exploring for oil off Alaska during summer. Kayakers formed a chain blockading the port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 in order to impede the Polar Pioneer
[vimeo url=”http://vimeo.com/101584491″] In the days right before and after the summer solstice, i.e. the year’s longest days, the sun doesn’t set in some areas of the polar circles and the poles, but it shines even at midnight. In the boreal hemisphere, summer solstice usually is on 21 June. There are just a few places
