The costly changes occurring in Alaska from climate change have very serious implications for the state, the nation and the world.

We in Alaska are first-hand global warming witnesses. According to temperature data, we are at ground zero. During the last four decades, Alaska has heated more than anywhere in the country. Our annual temperatures have increased 3–5 °F and our winter temperatures have soared 7–10 °F.

In other words, we are the melting tip of the iceberg. Or, better yet, we are the Paul Reveres of global warming – "Take action: the BTUs are coming."

In just the last two years we have experienced record breaking fire seasons, sea ice melting, glacier retreat, diseases, storms, temperatures, and more. These impacts are discussed in the Impact Analysis paper on this Web Site. I urge you to review it.

What happens if the United States fails to act on global warming? According to a study recently published in the Journal of Climate, if carbon dioxide rises 0.45% a year (the current rate is 0.50%), average temperatures in many parts of northern North America will rise more than 25 degrees by 2100. As one of the scientists involved in this study noted: "The message is not to give up because the changes appear overwhelming, but instead the message should be the longer we wait to do something, the worse the consequences."

For economic, political, moral, health, cultural, ecological and global stability reasons, America should lead the world on climate change issues. Among other motivators, many major companies such as British Petroleum have already demonstrated that cutting greenhouse emissions is not only achievable but also very good for the bottom line.

If we fail to act, Baked Alaska would not be just a dessert; it would be a tragedy. Current and future generations deserve much, much better.

The major goal of Alaska Conservation Solutions is to publicize Alaska's global warming plight and work on remedies. Armed with information, we must act now to reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions. There is so much at stake.