It May Be Too Late to See Alaska Before Global Heat Changes It Forever

It is said that one should visit Alaska as one’s last trip, since nothing else can match its beauty.  In large measure, that’s no longer true.

Last July 4th, when it was hotter in Anchorage, Alaska than it was in Key West, Florida, locals were bathing in a formerly icy cold lake, now quite comfortable.  One by one, they were realizing that a climate tipping point had been reached.  Temperatures were smashing records, ice was melting at horrifying rates, skies were smoky from wildfires, and dead salmon were piling up.  At the same time, scientists were also worrying about the changes that were invisible to the locals: toxic algae blooms in the Bering Sea and insects from the Continental U.S. carrying new diseases north.

Meanwhile, in Washington, lawmakers were taking a celebratory break from dismantling environmental regulations and making it easier for the fossil fuel industry to continue to dominate the energy sector.

Above: Muir Glacier shown in 1941 and 2004