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Oil Drilling Residents
of Kaktovik find it difficult to get employment so far from large
centres of commerce - one of the only industries which can provide jobs
in such environments is oil drilling. However, drilling can lead to oil
spills either from pipelines or from ships, like the Exxon Valdez
disaster, and, in an ecosystem with such low primary productivity, such
disasters can have impacts lasting hundreds or even thousands of years.
Oil pipelines require service roads, which lead to pollution of
the local environment as well as the blocking of crucial caribou
migration routes. Without access along these routes, caribou predators
and the ecosystem in which they live may collapse.
Ecotourism is
the only truly viable alternative to drilling jobs in a place like
Kaktovik, and, by bringing money into the local economy, you actually
increase the economic value of animals and natural resources to the
point where conservation becomes an economic necessity. Your presence
will not only contribute to your knowledge of the issues of oil
drilling, but will provide residents of Kaktovik with a real
alternative.
Carbon Footprint Although
your flight to Kaktovik will contribute to global warming, simple
measures like carbon offsetting can reduce your impact. Offsetting the
carbon produced in a flight to Kaktovik will usually cost less than £10
and will make you feel at ease.
However, this isn't the only way
you can reduce your carbon footprint; many travel companies hire guides
from elsewhere in Alaska and fly them out to destinations like
Kaktovik. By choosing a local guide you may actually halve your impact
on the environment you are visiting.
Sustainable Living Bruce
Inglangasuk lives in an incredibly sustainable way; in a one room
house, eating mainly locally sourced food and travelling as little as
necessary. As he puts it; "we don’t boat around much- only from
point a to point b and back – we know where our animals are when we
want to do subsistence hunting and try to avoid using too much petrol".
Bruce uses a fuel efficient and quiet motor for his motorboat,
to reduce his impact on the environment. He is looking into more
environmentally friendly motors and hopes soon to purchase one.
By
using the services of Bruce, you not only choose a guide whose
lifestyle is sustainable, you also enable him to afford more
environmentally friendly ways of travelling around.
Local Economy Bruce
is seeking employment in non-tourism related sectors, but finds it
difficult to break into the job market. He and his daughter are
currently provided for by the state, although he has occasional work
from wildlife photographers and filmmakers. By choosing Bruce as your
guide, you not only help provide a better life for him and his
daughter, you also improve the strength of the local economy.
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