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Matthew Berman has been researching social science and public policy issues at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) since 1981.
Household harvesting of wild fish and game contributes to food security in indigenous communities across the Arctic, and in some regions plays an important role in cultural identity of indigenous peoples. The degree to which the state regulates harvesting and restricts distribution of country foods varies widely, however, and this intervention in local economies can affect livelihood opportunities. The paper hypothesizes that where state policy has contributed to harvesting remaining a culturally embedded livelihood strategy, its contribution to the quality of life may influence people to remain in rural communities, despite potentially lower material living standards. Lacking such a cultural linkage, harvesting may become the employer of last resort for people unable to find paying jobs or leave declining communities for a better life elsewhere. The paper examines the association between Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic (SLiCA) respondents’ intent to remain in their community of residence and household harvesting, cash income from work, and other relevant factors. The results include both similarities and differences for residents of arctic Alaska, arctic Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka. Systematic differences found appear consistent with the hypothesis about the role of household harvesting and state policy toward harvest and distribution of country foods.
Matthew Berman. Household Harvesting, State Policy, and Migration: Evidence from the Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7071 .
AMA StyleMatthew Berman. Household Harvesting, State Policy, and Migration: Evidence from the Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (13):7071.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew Berman. 2021. "Household Harvesting, State Policy, and Migration: Evidence from the Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic." Sustainability 13, no. 13: 7071.
The late-season extreme fire activity in Southcentral Alaska during 2019 was highly unusual and consequential. Firefighting operations had to be extended by a month in 2019 due to the extreme conditions of hot summer temperature and prolonged drought. The ongoing fires created poor air quality in the region containing most of Alaska’s population, leading to substantial impacts to public health. Suppression costs totaled over $70 million for Southcentral Alaska. This study’s main goals are to place the 2019 season into historical context, provide an attribution analysis, and assess future changes in wildfire risk in the region. The primary tools are meteorological observations and climate model simulations from the NCAR CESM Large Ensemble (LENS). The 2019 fire season in Southcentral Alaska included the hottest and driest June–August season over the 1979–2019 period. The LENS simulation analysis suggests that the anthropogenic signal of increased fire risk had not yet emerged in 2019 because of the CESM’s internal variability, but that the anthropogenic signal will emerge by the 2040–80 period. The effect of warming temperatures dominates the effect of enhanced precipitation in the trend towards increased fire risk.
Uma S. Bhatt; Rick T. Lader; John E. Walsh; Peter A. Bieniek; Richard Thoman; Matthew Berman; Cecilia Borries-Strigle; Kristi Bulock; Jonathan Chriest; Micah Hahn; Amy S. Hendricks; Randi Jandt; Joseph Little; Daniel McEvoy; Chris Moore; T. Scott Rupp; Jennifer Schmidt; Eric Stevens; Heidi Strader; Christine Waigl; James White; Alison York; Robert Ziel. Emerging Anthropogenic Influences on the Southcentral Alaska Temperature and Precipitation Extremes and Related Fires in 2019. Land 2021, 10, 82 .
AMA StyleUma S. Bhatt, Rick T. Lader, John E. Walsh, Peter A. Bieniek, Richard Thoman, Matthew Berman, Cecilia Borries-Strigle, Kristi Bulock, Jonathan Chriest, Micah Hahn, Amy S. Hendricks, Randi Jandt, Joseph Little, Daniel McEvoy, Chris Moore, T. Scott Rupp, Jennifer Schmidt, Eric Stevens, Heidi Strader, Christine Waigl, James White, Alison York, Robert Ziel. Emerging Anthropogenic Influences on the Southcentral Alaska Temperature and Precipitation Extremes and Related Fires in 2019. Land. 2021; 10 (1):82.
Chicago/Turabian StyleUma S. Bhatt; Rick T. Lader; John E. Walsh; Peter A. Bieniek; Richard Thoman; Matthew Berman; Cecilia Borries-Strigle; Kristi Bulock; Jonathan Chriest; Micah Hahn; Amy S. Hendricks; Randi Jandt; Joseph Little; Daniel McEvoy; Chris Moore; T. Scott Rupp; Jennifer Schmidt; Eric Stevens; Heidi Strader; Christine Waigl; James White; Alison York; Robert Ziel. 2021. "Emerging Anthropogenic Influences on the Southcentral Alaska Temperature and Precipitation Extremes and Related Fires in 2019." Land 10, no. 1: 82.
The International Organization for Standardization recently responded to a growing global interest in cities by developing an index for measuring urban sustainability (ISO 37120). We address how well this standard applies to Arctic cities, and potential modifications that might improve its performance. After briefly discussing the goals of sustainability indicators, we examine the extent to which Arctic cities’ remote location, cold and changing climate, and thin, largely resource-based economies may create different sustainability challenges. We then critically examine the content of ISO 37120 and the context in which it was created. We place the index within a broader discussion of urban sustainability indicators and examine the extent to which it really addresses sustainability. We then analyze how well the ISO 37120 accounts for the characteristic features of Arctic cities that produce unique sustainability challenges. Our findings show that only half of ISO 37120′s 128 indicators actually measure future-oriented concerns. We suggest that, while the ISO 37120 may be a useful starting point in quantifying Arctic urban sustainability, the index should only be used as a foundation for a more in-depth analysis. To better represent Arctic cities, the ISO 37120 would need to include indicators that situate cities within their regional contexts, addressing both remoteness and the underlying basis of the Arctic city economy. The index should also measure the role of Indigenous populations, and chart the extent to which cities are working to increase levels of sustainability.
Matthew Berman; Robert W. Orttung. Measuring Progress toward Urban Sustainability: Do Global Measures Work for Arctic Cities? Sustainability 2020, 12, 3708 .
AMA StyleMatthew Berman, Robert W. Orttung. Measuring Progress toward Urban Sustainability: Do Global Measures Work for Arctic Cities? Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3708.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew Berman; Robert W. Orttung. 2020. "Measuring Progress toward Urban Sustainability: Do Global Measures Work for Arctic Cities?" Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3708.
We summarize the potential nature and scope of economic effects of climate change in Alaska that have already occurred and are likely to become manifest over the next 30–50 years. We classified potential effects discussed in the literature into categories according to climate driver, type of environmental service affected, certainty and timing of the effects, and potential magnitude of economic consequences. We then described the nature of important economic effects and provided estimates of larger, more certain effects for which data were available. Largest economic effects were associated with costs to prevent damage, relocate, and replace infrastructure threatened by permafrost thaw, sea level rise, and coastal erosion. The costs to infrastructure were offset by a large projected reduction in space heating costs attributable to milder winters. Overall, we estimated that five relatively certain, large effects that could be readily quantified would impose an annual net cost of $340–$700 million, or 0.6%–1.3% of Alaska’s GDP. This significant, but relatively modest, net economic effect for Alaska as a whole obscures large regional disparities, as rural communities face large projected costs while more southerly urban residents experience net gains.
Matthew Berman; Jennifer I. Schmidt. Economic Effects of Climate Change in Alaska. Weather, Climate, and Society 2019, 11, 245 -258.
AMA StyleMatthew Berman, Jennifer I. Schmidt. Economic Effects of Climate Change in Alaska. Weather, Climate, and Society. 2019; 11 (2):245-258.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatthew Berman; Jennifer I. Schmidt. 2019. "Economic Effects of Climate Change in Alaska." Weather, Climate, and Society 11, no. 2: 245-258.