Alaska & New Hampshire Commonalities
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Flooding
Forests
Winters
Coastal Communities
Cold Water Fish
Waterfowl
Critical Habitat
Small, innovative, pioneering
population
Renewable Energy Potential
Key Senators
White Mountains, NH
Brooks Range, AK
What’s at Stake
"The very notion of the Northeast as we know it is at stake.
The near-term emissions choices we make in the Northeast and
throughout the world will help determine the climate and quality of life
our children and grandchildren experience."
Cameron Wake, Professor at the Climate Change Research Center,
University of New Hampshire
Alaska Waterfowl
 Hatch dates have advanced 5 to 10
days since 1982 in all 5 species studied in
Yukon Delta NWR.
Cackling chicks
 “Sea level rise, increased storm
frequency and intensity and wetland
drying will likely cause dramatic changes
in waterfowl communities.”
-- Julien Fischer, Scientist, USFWS
Aleutian
Cackling
Geese
Brandt Geese
White Front Goose
Temperatures
Summer Temperatures
 “Many of the Northeast region’s
cities, including Buffalo, Hartford, and
Concord, NH, are expected to
experience three times as many days of
extreme heat by late-century as they do
now.”
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Northeast Climate Impact Assessment (NECIA) , 2007
Temperatures
 Winter temperatures have increased by 4.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Climate Change Research Center, University of New Hampshire
 “Due to emissions in the recent past, average temperatures across
the northeast are projected to rise another 2.5 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit
in winter.” NECIA, 2007
Winter Sports in New Hampshire
By the last third of this century:
 $650 million downhill skiing industry could disappear
 No longer economically viable to manufacture snow
 2-month snowmobile season could occur only in White Mountains and north
 Snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing need natural snow
NECIA, 2007
Hunting and Angling
In 2001, sportsmen and women spent more than $619 million on
hunting and fishing in New Hampshire, supporting nearly 13,000 jobs.
USFWS National Survey, 2001
Existing Impacts in New Hampshire
 “In three years, we’ve had three
Rochester, NH
hundred-year flood events in New
Hampshire… tremendous damage
somewhere upwards of $35 million
to roads, bridges and private
property.”
Special testimony at the Committee on Global
Warming and Energy Independence, 2007
 “Rainfall is expected to become
more intense and periods of heavy
rainfall are expected to become
more frequent.”
Raymond, NH
NECIA, 2007
Forest Impacts
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In New Hampshire, maple
syrup production is worth
approximately $4 million
annually. Carbon Coalition
 Cultural impact
Eastern Spruce Budworm
What We Can Do
Government Actions
Senator Judd Gregg
 “Climate change is one of the most serious environmental problems
facing our planet. It touches nearly everything we do. Our climate is
inextricably linked to our economy and heritage of our nation.”
 The Renewable Energy Tax Parity Act
 Up to a $2,000 credit on
wood pellet stoves and boilers
What We Can Do
Government Actions
Senator John E. Sununu
The Mercury Emissions Control Act
 “The toxicity of mercury to the
health of humans and the
environment has been documented
time and again by scientists around
the world. While state regulations
have made some strides in
combating high mercury levels in
air and water sources, tougher
federal standards are needed.”
Be Heard – Write your Senators
New Hampshire Sierra Club: www.sierraclub.org/nh/
Clean Air – Cool Planet: www.cleanair-coolplanet.org
Carbon CO2alition: www.carboncoalition.org
Union of Concerned Scientists: www.ucsusa.org
National Wildlife Federation: www.nwf.org, www.targetglobalwarming.com
New Hampshire Audubon Society: www.nhaudubon.org