Jaclyn Hardiman
ARCH-4980.2 | Julia Watson, Assistant Professor
COMMUNAL CAPTURE OF METHANE
On the Alaskan North Slope
JACLYN HARDIMAN
Global trends of climate change remain dynamic throughout the history of our planet, leaving the future without exception. Tipping points mark the irreversible mark in time that the damage done cannot be reconciled. The arctic region is heating up the fastest, at a rate of almost twice that of any other ecosystem, and is also one of the most fragile. Permafrost melt is one of these major tipping points.
Focusing on the Alaskan North Slope’s city of Barrow, the consequences of climate change are increasingly apparent. The majority of the city’s population is Inupiat, from the same native population that has not only managed to survive in the frozen desert, but has found a way to thrive by living off the landscape. The threat of anthropomorphic climate change is not what they fear the most, but the loss of their cultural values that depend on their traditional knowledge and practices.
By enabling the imminent landscape deformations caused by climate change in this region the Inupiat will still be able to hunt and fish within their traditional paradigm. A new energy landscape will be created to generate economic growth and stability within the landscape. The city can generate a more sustainable source for home heating and power generation. Biodiversity will increase through detailed design phases to ensure the stability of subsistence hunting and fishing. While biodiversity would occur naturally over time, the generation of a new energy landscape is stimulated by methane emissions due to climate change. In essence, the negative consequences of climate change in the arctic are being reworked to be as advantageous as possible for the Inupiat.