The ends of oil: changing life in earth science, extractive industry, and indigenous communities in Alaska, 2016-2017

• Main Authors: David Bond, Luas Bessire
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Arctic Data Center 2017
• Subjects: Arctic; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.18739/A2XZ2Z

Whether in dwindling dividends, aging pipelines, eroding coastlines, or new exploration projects, northern Alaska offers a compelling vantage point for understanding the social implications of fossil fuels today. The purpose of this research was to initiate dialogue with rural Alaskan communities on how they are navigating concerns over the economic and environmental instabilities of oil. To do so, PI David Bond (Bennington College) traveled to communities in northern Alaska with PI Lucas Bessire (University of Oklahoma) and: 1) met with a variety of stakeholders, from earth scientists to oil company representatives, from state policy-makers to Indigenous leaders; 2) surveyed local engagements with the ends of oil, including the rising costs of gasoline and heating oil, the fluctuating migration patterns of keystone species, the Arctic monitoring of planetary CO2 emissions, and the projected local impacts from new drilling projects; 3) consulted with communities to develop and field-test experimental methods to conduct cutting-edge social research in collaboration with local communities; and 4) identified Alaskan institutions and local partners for future research projects on these themes. Together, these preliminary findings allowed us to incorporate local concerns and capacities into the design of a larger collaborative research proposal on petro-conclusions and post-petroleum society in Alaska.