New handbook explores Arctic energy shifts

New handbook explores Arctic energy shifts

A new book featuring the work of multiple University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers maps the complex landscape of energy use and security in the Arctic.

The "Routledge Handbook of Arctic Energy Transition" offers ways to understand the challenges and opportunities in coming Arctic energy transitions.

The book notes that the Arctic is at a pivotal moment in its energy history. Rapid advances in technologies are driving what could become the most transformative energy shift since the Industrial Revolution, but the transition is unfolding unevenly across the region. Arctic energy security is critical, not just in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions but also from the global standpoint.

Published today, the book explores the critical role of planning, civilian and military uses, governance and regulatory environments in achieving energy security. The book also highlights the social value of energy and examines how energy goals can be realized in Arctic communities. It situates Arctic energy shifts within the broader context of global energy security and sets a research agenda to support community-focused solutions.

"[This] volume [brings] together an extraordinary team of experts who provide us with a comprehensive understanding of the many ways energy will enable communities in the North to thrive, while underscoring and explaining the complexities of Arctic energy security in an inherently connected local, regional, and global context," wrote Mike Sfraga in his review of the book. Sfraga, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs, most recently served as UAF's interim chancellor.

"It offers a grounded, practical framework for strengthening energy security across a vast and diverse North and will be an essential resource for those working to improve the status quo," wrote Katie Conway, the Denali Commission's former energy program manager.

The book's five editors include the University of Saskatchewan's Bram Noble and Greg Poelzer, the UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power's Gwen Holdmann, Texas A&M University's Saurabh Biswas and the University of Alaska Anchorage's Diane Hirshberg, an ACEP affiliate.

Many chapters were authored by current and former ACEP researchers and affiliates, including (in alphabetical order) Dannia Andrade, Yu Cao, Steve Colt, Magnus de Witt, John Haverlack, Holdmann, Daisy Huang, Nicole Jacobs, Jeremy Kasper, Annalise Klein Gerlach, Tom Marsik, Ian McDougall, Addie Norgaard, Dominique Pride, Leasi Vanessa Lee Raymond, George Reising, Emilia Sakai Hernandez and Erin Whitney. Most of the ACEP work was funded by the Office of Naval Research.

The book is written for students, scholars and professionals interested in energy, Indigenous rights, policy and international geopolitics, and it provides a valuable guide to understanding and shaping the future of Arctic energy. It is available hardbound or as an eBook.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Gwen Holdmann, [email protected], 907-590-4577; Diane Hirshberg, [email protected], 907-360-9809